Chapter 659: Stars fall into place, chapter ends
【Buzz~】
This time the system's movement was too sudden, and Ji Zhao had not expected it.
[Three Kingdoms expansion pack: The second chapter of the treacherous ministers has ended. The protagonists of the era: Luo Kong, Dong Zhuo, and Yuan Shao, will now start to settle the accounts for you. ]
[Since the magnificent Taiping Uprising, the loyal princes have rushed to the provinces and counties of the world. However, Dong Zhuo came from Xiliang with his destructive cavalry and began to trample on all the rules and morals of this world in the Central Plains and in the holy city of Luoyang that you built.
This is an unprecedented disaster in this era. How difficult it is to establish morality! How easy it is to destroy morality.
Fortunately, the voices of aspiring scholars rang out in Luoyang, and their sonorous and powerful words echoed beside the Luo River. The oaths from ancient times merged with the oaths of the princes at this moment, and life and sacrifice recast the foundation of morality.
[Luokong rewards have been issued and will not be issued again. The second chapter is being finalized and the third chapter is being prepared. Please stay tuned. ]
[System friendly reminder, the world is about to evolve again, please be prepared, dear master and family, to welcome a more perfect and real world! ]
After a series of system prompts, the protagonist of the era who had not filled in his name before filled in his name after everything was over.
Luo Kong, Dong Zhuo, and Yuan Shao are the three undisputed protagonists of this period.
Ji Zhao looked at all this. This story was very exciting and somewhat different from the Eighteen-Army Campaign to Fight Dong Zhuo.
But compared to the failed campaign against Dong Zhuo due to its dark and treacherous nature and intrigue, Ji Zhao now felt that the existence of the Luo family had its value.
This time the trampling of the Han Dynasty's orthodoxy was so severe that even the last bit of sacredness attached to the emperor disappeared. It can be said that the emperor's only role this time was as a political leader.
Ji Zhao was somewhat curious about what the third chapter would be like. He guessed that it would be about the competition among the princes, but who would win?
Ji Zhao didn’t know, because the situation in the human world now was completely different from that in his previous life.
If a great man like Liu Bei had a solid foundation in the early days, the extent to which he would have changed the situation would have been unimaginable.
…
Yuan Shao led the Jizhou soldiers and rushed back to Yecheng to take charge of the situation.
In Yuan Shao's view, Gongsun Zan's attack on Jizhou was more dangerous than fighting against Dong Zhuo in Luoyang.
If he is not careful, his foundation in Jizhou may really be destroyed.
When Yuan Shao was supporting the king before, his strength was not as good as Gongsun Zan's, but Yuan Shao had a good family background and high prestige, so he could become the leader of the alliance.
Now Yuan Shao took control of Jizhou, but Gongsun Zan also received more support from the Youzhou gentry and military nobles of the border counties.
In terms of military strength alone, Gongsun Zan is now stronger than Yuan Shao. Jizhou is strong in war potential, but its immediate combat effectiveness is not as good as Gongsun Zan.
Yuan Shao hurried on his way while discussing with Xun Chen. He asked anxiously, "Youruo, by the time we return to Jizhou, I'm afraid Gongsun Zan will have already entered Jizhou. Can we hold on to northern Jizhou?"
The political center of Jizhou was in Yecheng, and Jibei was close to Youzhou. It had always been considered a relatively remote place, and the gentry there might not necessarily be in agreement with Ju Shou and other gentry.
What Yuan Shao was most worried about was that the gentry in northern Ji would use their traditional skill - surrender at the first sign of danger.
The gentry and the scholars are different. The scholars are willing to die for the loyalty in their hearts, but a family will never do that.
After crossing the river, Yuan Shao ran all the way.
As soon as they arrived at the border of Jizhou, Ju Su sent someone to deliver the latest news, "My lord, Gongsun Zan has entered Jizhou, his army is strong, the counties surrendered, Zhongshan and Hejian have all fallen, Gongsun Zan personally led the White Horse Volunteers to the south, the Youzhou soldiers are too strong, and the deputy driver has led the army to the north to resist Gongsun Zan.
Before leaving, the deputy driver told the lord that he would defend Jizhou with his life. "
Yuan Shao's eyes went dark when he heard this, and everyone's faces were filled with anxiety. This was Jizhou's biggest problem. It had a large population, and the land was flat and fertile, but there were no mountains or rivers blocking the way.
Those mountains and rivers are all in the hands of Youzhou and Bingzhou. South of Yanshan Mountain and east of Taihang Mountain, cavalry can go down at any time and can even go straight to Yecheng, the center of Jizhou.
This is truly a moment of life and death!
If he was not careful, the great reputation that Yuan Shao had just gained in Luoyang would be lost before it could be transformed into tangible benefits.
Yuan Shao closed his eyes and began to brainstorm frantically, thinking about Xun Chen and Ju Suxin's ideas. He looked at the carriage carrying Tang Ji and said loudly, "You Ruo."
Xun Chen said anxiously: "My Lord!"
Yuan Shao said in a deep voice: "As the saying goes, a promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Wushuang Hou will kill Dong Zhuo. I must do what I promised Wushuang Hou. I will give you a thousand soldiers and horses, and you will send the queen to Zhaocheng."
The reason why Yuan Shao chose Xun Chen was very simple. After returning to Hebei, he suddenly had more top advisers under his command, so the lack of Xun Chen was not a big problem.
Sending the queen to Zhaocheng can be considered a diplomatic activity. Xun Chen has a refined appearance and elegant demeanor, which makes him just suitable for this kind of thing.
Xun Chen agreed, and Yuan Shao said, "Yan Liang and Wen Chou, you two should lead your troops and follow me directly to Anguo. We must stop Gongsun Zan's offensive.
Youruo, after you leave Zhaocheng, cross the river directly to Yinghou State, present a great gift, and ask Yinghou to mediate between me and Gongsun Zan, at Qinghe."
After a series of orders were issued, Yuan Shao remembered Liu Bei who was going to Qingzhou. Yuan Shao still remembered that Liu Bei was Gongsun Zan's younger brother.
Between Youzhou, Jizhou and Qingzhou is Bohai County, which is under the jurisdiction of Youzhou but is usually independent.
After Yuan Shao took control of Jizhou, the governor of Bohai defected to Yuan Shao. If Bohai County was captured by Gongsun Zan, Gongsun Zan would be able to join forces with Liu Bei.
Although Yuan Shao was not clear about Liu Bei's current strength, he was impressed by the generals under Liu Bei who were capable of defeating thousands of enemies.
But there is no other way now, even just dealing with Gongsun Zan requires all our strength.
As long as he could withstand Gongsun Zan's offensive head-on, Yuan Shao thought, and then wait for Cao Cao to return to Yanzhou, he could form an alliance with Cao Cao to fight against the combination of Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei.
Yuan Shao led his army away, while Xun Chen took Queen Tang straight to Zhaocheng.
Tang Ji sat in the carriage, looking at the hastily separated army. Beside her was a package of exquisite workmanship, which contained the seal of the queen!
This was something she got after returning to Luoyang. When Luo Kong handed the Queen's seal to her, he told her that it was as precious as her life, so even when she was about to die, she did not throw it away.
Xun Chen was naturally filled with anxiety. The carriage rumbled along the straight road and soon entered the Kingdom of Zhao.
Then, he was intercepted by brave warriors who came after hearing the news dozens of miles away from Zhaocheng.
Xun Chen hurried forward and said, "General, we are under the command of Lord Yuan, the governor of Jizhou of the Han Dynasty. When Marquis Wushuang died, he entrusted Lord Yuan to send the Empress of the Han Dynasty to Zhaocheng. We are here to fulfill his promise."
Wushuang Hou?
Sending the Queen of the Han Dynasty?
The leader of the brave warriors knew that this must be true, but he still asked: "Did Master Kong entrust you with this? Do you have a token?"
Tang Ji got off the carriage, trotted a few steps, then took out a piece of red silk cloth from her arms, opened the cloth, and found the jade pendant that Luo Kong had given her.
The leader of the brave warriors looked at them and realized that what these people said was true, and that Young Master Kong might have met with an accident.
It was common knowledge that the young master and young lady of the Luo family liked to wear jade, but there was one piece of jade that was special.
For example, the one Tang Ji is holding has a majestic phoenix on the back, and the word "Zhou" is engraved at the heart of the phoenix.
On the front are the sun, moon, stars, mountains and rivers, with the name and font size engraved on them.
Seeing the jade, the brave warrior leader immediately mounted his horse and said, "Please follow me to Zhaocheng, I have to report this matter to the head of the family."
Although she looks like a little girl, she is the Queen of the Han Dynasty!
Although the Han Dynasty is now on the decline and even on the verge of losing its mandate of heaven, the concept of a dynasty that has lasted for three hundred years is still quite terrifying.
Just as Liu Bian said before his death, it was almost impossible for someone of Tang Ji's status to get married again. The criticism that one would have to endure if he married Tang Ji was unimaginable. Ordinary people would not dare to marry her. Those nobles would worship her, but it would be impossible for them to get married. Only Luo Shi did not care about these things.
The distance of dozens of miles is not far, and even if they want to take care of Tang Ji, they can still arrive there quite quickly. The army that came to protect Tang Ji stayed outside the city, and the brave warriors took Tang Ji and Xun Chen into Zhaocheng.
Tang Ji was taken away directly by the Luo girl.
Tang Ji, who had been very nervous, saw so many Luo family women with holy marks on their foreheads. She suddenly thought of Luo Kong and her heart immediately calmed down.
Luo Zhang felt a little emotional. He didn't expect that Luo Kong would actually send the Queen of the Han Dynasty to Zhaocheng.
Xun Chen told Luo Zhang in detail what happened in Luoyang.
Luo Zhang already knew the news of Luo Kong's death when he passed away, and now Xun Chen has added the details for him.
Although it was Ji Zhao who gave the artifact to Luo Kong, as the head of the family, Luo Zhang also knew it, so he knew the reason for the punishment that day better.
While Xun Chen was telling the story, he had been secretly looking at Luo Zhang. He was secretly shocked to see that no matter he mentioned the heavenly punishment or the miracle, the head of the Luo family remained calm, as if he had known about it for a long time.
"Gongsun Zan raided Jizhou, and my lord went to meet the enemy. He was unable to personally escort Queen Tang here. I hope you will understand."
In the end, Xun Chen secretly gave Gongsun Zan some eye drops.
From a strategic and tactical perspective, there was nothing wrong with Gongsun Zan's choice of timing, but it just made Yuan Shao sick to death.
Luo Zhang pondered and said, "Mr. Benchu is a man of high character and integrity. I deeply admire him and am willing to mediate between him and Gongsun Zan as a small reward."
It's just a mediation, this kind of thing was often done during the Bang Zhou period.
Xun Chen was overjoyed when he heard this. He never expected that there would be such an unexpected surprise.
Before, Yuan Shao was planning to ask Ying Hou for mediation, but he didn't expect that Zhao Gong would be willing to mediate now. No matter how arrogant Gongsun Zan was, Zhao Gong would still give him face.
As long as the war could be stopped for a period of time, with the well-prepared Jizhou and the support of his lord, Xun Chen recalled Yuan Shao's various performances. Even though he was at a disadvantage, he believed that he would not be afraid of Gongsun Zan.
Xun Chen left Zhaocheng excitedly, accompanied by two thousand brave warriors. When he walked out of Zhaocheng, Xun Chen suddenly broke out in a sweat.
Something is wrong!
After a brief moment of excitement, Xun Chen suddenly realized that the reason he had looked for Marquis Ying before was because Duke Zhao would not interfere in the internal affairs of the Han court. Even for mediation, a handwritten letter would be enough. Whether it would succeed or not depended on whether Duke Zhao gave him face.
However, they now directly sent out brave warriors, which clearly meant that if Gongsun Zan did not agree to mediation, he would be forced to agree by force.
What does this change represent?
Xun Chen was a top counselor. He remembered clearly that the last time the Luo family sent out brave warriors to mediate a war was between the Han Dynasty and the Yan Kingdom in Liaodong!
The growing power of Wuhuan and Xianbei threatened the various states of the Xia Dynasty. Finally, the Han Dynasty and the Liaodong Yan Kingdom joined forces to defeat the coalition forces of Wuhuan and Xianbei.
That was the only time that the Han Dynasty and the Yan State joined forces, and it was also the only time that the Luo family mediated in the Han Dynasty.
But now, the Luo family has sent out brave warriors to mediate between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan. Xun Chen dare not even imagine the significance of this!
It’s really terrifying when you think about it!
In Zhaocheng, Luo Zhang looked at the brave warriors and Yuan Shao's army who were leaving, and watered the flowers with a kettle, humming softly: "One withers and another flourishes, one dies and another is born, one flower dies, and thousands of flowers bloom, and the next year will be a beautiful year again."
…
Qingzhou.
Liu Bei led the army that had always followed him. Now he was a completely different person than before. His military strength had greatly increased. Guan, Zhang and Zhao each commanded a legion of 4,000 people!
Three years ago, he could not have imagined such a powerful military force.
In today's Qingzhou, Liu Bei's strength is definitely among the best. His field army of more than 10,000 people is considered powerful no matter where he is.
Liu Bei went all the way from Taishan County to Linzi County. He either killed or captured the bandits he encountered along the way. It must be said that Guan, Zhang and Zhao were really fierce when it came to fighting bandits.
Generals like Guan, Zhang and Zhao are most afraid of heavily armored soldiers on full alert. Except for people like Xiang Yu and Luo Xiao, even Lu Bu would definitely die if he encountered a large number of heavily armored soldiers in formation.
Even though the bandits were quite ferocious, they lacked discipline and had many flaws. For the three powerful generals, Guan, Zhang, and Zhao, they could win by simply leading their troops to charge.
Just as Liu Bei entered the border of Linzi County, Gongsun Zan delivered a letter.
Naturally, Liu Bei did not need to avoid his team members who had come all the way from obscurity. What Gongsun Zan said in the letter was very simple, and the general meaning was.
I heard that you, Xuande, have developed very well after entering Qingzhou, and now you are very strong. I had a grudge against Yuan Shao before, but now my strength has recovered a little and I am preparing to attack Yuan Shao in Jizhou. If you come to help me, I will appoint you as the governor of Qingzhou in the future. We are all brothers, and I trust you very much.
After Liu Bei received this letter, his expression was complicated. He actually wanted to swear. Don’t you know how high Yuan Shao’s reputation is in the world now?
If you attack Jizhou now, won't this give people an excuse to criticize you?
Liu Bei has always cherished his reputation. Everyone who has met Liu Bei admires him and thinks he is a hero who is destined to achieve great things. Now seeing Gongsun Zan's unwise behavior, Liu Bei naturally couldn't help it.
"Why is this Brother Bogui..."
Liu Bei was concerned about Gongsun Zan's face, but Jian Yong didn't care. He said coldly, "Foolish, my lord, don't worry about Gongsun Zan's invitation. We just need to do our best."
Guan Yu was also dissatisfied and said: "Brother's position as Qingzhou Governor is right in front of him, why does he need to be appointed? He himself is not even the Governor of Youzhou, but he dares to appoint the Governor of Qingzhou. He is really arrogant to the extreme."
Seeing that his sworn brothers and advisers were dissatisfied with Gongsun Zan, Liu Bei reluctantly put away Gongsun Zan's letter and said, "Clear the bandits around Qi State, go to see the Duke of Qi, and then to Jimo Lu State."
The Lu family of Linzi suffered badly in the early stage, but as the Taiping Army left, the Lu family gradually recovered. It turned out that they had an extremely deep foundation.
After all, the Lu family has occupied this land for 1,300 years!
When the State of Qi was destroyed, the direct line of the Lu family was exterminated by the Qin Dynasty. However, there were too many nobles from the Lu family in this land. The Qin State was destroyed in just a dozen years, and there was no time to clean up the remnants here.
The Lu family's power in Qi was truly reduced during the pre-Han period, when 80% of their members migrated to Bingzhou.
It can be said that except for the main branches of the Linzi and Jimo Lu families, all the rest of the Lu families were relocated. At that time, there were eight marquises who were relocated, and now all of them have been deposed.
It is possible that Lu Bu's ancestors, who were born in Bingzhou, migrated to Bingzhou.
But people can migrate away, but influence cannot. The reputation of a thousand-year-old family is really loud. Even if we only count the Han Dynasty, a family with a history of three hundred years is also terrifying. Most of the families in Qingzhou are headed by the Lu family, at least on the surface.
Aristocratic families rarely obey another family. The so-called "county's reputation" has actually explained all the relationships involved. No matter how powerful a family is, most of them can only show their power within the county. Family like the Lu family is actually quite rare.
Without the cooperation of the Lu family, it would be a dream for Liu Bei to become the governor of Qingzhou. Even if he succeeded, he would always be worried about being overthrown by the aristocratic families of Qingzhou who would bring in another dragon from across the river.
Liu Bei's appearance was unexpected by Lu, and Duke Qi was even more surprised that he could get the letter from Marquis Ying.
After Liu Bei wiped out the bandits around the State of Lu and took out the letter of introduction written to him by Luochuan, the gate of Linzi City was opened to him.
Looking at the slightly depressed city before them, Liu Bei and the others felt their blood boiling. Even Zhang Fei knew the significance of Liu Bei's coming here.
Whether my eldest brother can become one of the most powerful princes in the world and whether he can restore the Han Dynasty in the future depends on this city.
In the Qi Palace, Liu Bei met Duke of Qi Lü Lu, also known as Lü Changshou, a slightly plump middle-aged man. Lü had experienced many setbacks for so long, but his face did not look haggard at all, but rather full of energy.
Liu Bei immediately knew that the Duke of Qi in front of him was no ordinary person. No wonder Marquis Ying asked him to come here directly without sending anyone to accompany him.
Lu Lu was flipping through the letter from Luochuan in his hand, and then looked at Liu Bei. There was absolutely no problem with Liu Bei's appearance. Everyone who saw him said that he had the appearance of a hero. Lu Lu cared a lot about people's appearance, and he was very satisfied with Liu Bei.
After reading Luochuan's letter, Lu Lu put the letter beside him, looked at Liu Bei and said, "Thank you, Lord Xuande, for your help. Otherwise, we don't know when Linzi City can be opened again. Your kindness is what Lu should repay.
You are a descendant of Emperor Gao and a clan member of the Liu family. Marquis Ying has explained your situation very clearly in the letter.
But I have something to say.
As you can see, Linzi City was surrounded by bandits, and the Lu family was unable to rescue it. Do you think the Lu family can be of any help to your cause?"
Liu Bei clasped his fists and bowed, saying, "Why would we need soldiers if Lu is here?
I have heard that during the pre-Han period, Marquis Lü once said to Emperor Li Dan: "We, the noble families, have no more than 10,000 people and only a hundred soldiers. How can we overthrow the country? Aren't you the one who destroyed you?"
Bei deeply agreed with this. Although the Lu family had no soldiers, they could mobilize more than tens of millions of people if they raised their arms.
Isn't this exactly what Bei is missing?
If you are so concerned about your soldiers that you neglect your reputation, wouldn't that be like buying a casket and returning the pearl?"
Liu Bei's words were sincere, not pretentious, but truthful. Hearing this, Lü Lu was very happy and said, "Lord Xuande, you are such a sincere person. I wonder if you have a family?"
The family that Lu Lu was asking about was naturally the legal wife.
When Liu Bei and his companions heard this, their eyes lit up. Guan, Zhang, Jian, Yong and others wanted to answer for Liu Bei, "No!"
Liu Bei was completely confused by Lu Lu's question. Even if he was a fool, he knew what Lu Lu meant. He was going to marry off his daughter!
This is the noble lady of the Lu family. Apart from the noble lady of the Luo family, the noble lady of the Lu family is the most noble in the world.
As for the princess, those who understand will know that, apart from Luo, who would be willing to marry the daughter of a royal family!
Lu Lu was very satisfied with the reactions of Liu Bei and others. Marrying a daughter was naturally a very important matter for a noble family like the Lu family, but in reality it was not that important.
After Liu Bei accepted the marriage, Lu naturally supported him strongly. If he did not accept it, they would still support him but not with such strong support.
Moreover, because of what happened to Liu Bang in the pre-Han period, the Lu family had a precedent, so even if they wanted to marry their daughter off, they couldn't just give her to Liu Bei.
In other words, it is impossible for the Lu family to be tied to Liu Bei's chariot, and the current Liu Bei does not have the qualifications to do so. Apart from the emperor who unified the world, no one in this world is qualified to have such a big family like the Lu family support him wholeheartedly.
"Replying to Lord Qi, I have been wandering for many years and I am already thirty years old, but I still don't have a wife. This is really a shame to our ancestors!"
Liu Bei covered his face and said, looking quite ashamed. Lu Lu also sighed and said, "Lord Xuande, my family has a noble daughter who is the perfect match for a hero. I think Lord Xuande is a hero of the time. Would you be willing to marry her as your principal wife?"
Liu Bei had already bowed down and said, "I am deeply grateful to you for not abandoning me!"
…
After Yuan Shao left, Cao Cao decided to pursue him. Xun You knew that his uncle was under Cao Cao's command, so he reminded him, "Lord Cao, you can pursue the Xiliang Army, but you must be careful and talk if you can. Don't push them too far.
Their army is just in disarray on the surface; the most elite Xiliang cavalry are still under the command of various lieutenants and generals, and they can fight again with a little cheering up."
After saying this, Xun You prepared to return to Yingchuan. He wanted to find his good friend in Yingchuan, and then decide which prince to serve. Xun You now saw it too clearly that the Han Dynasty was really in trouble this time.
Unless another branch like Emperor Guangwu rises up, such as Liu Bei who went to Qingzhou, but it is too difficult. Liu Bei must first smash the old pot of the Han Dynasty before he can build a new pot, which is much more difficult than other princes.
Under this circumstance, Xun You estimated that this time the surname and country would really have to be changed. There were dozens of princes, big and small, in the world now, and Xun's family had bet on Cao Cao and Yuan Shao alone. Xun You had to think carefully about it.
Cao Cao took Xun You's words seriously, but when he started chasing them, he found that this once powerful Western Liang army was completely vulnerable while fleeing and had no ability to fight back at all.
When Li Jue and Guo Si were fleeing, they found Cao Cao chasing them. Li Jue complained, "At that time I told you not to enter Luoyang, but you insisted on entering Luoyang. Look what happened now.
These palace servants and ministers are really too much of a nuisance, why don't we just kill them, they are totally useless to keep around."
Guo Si was dissatisfied and said, "When I said I wanted to go to Luoyang to rob things, didn't you agree?
What's the point of saying this now?
Killing people is fine, but should the emperor be killed?"
Li Jue hesitated and said, "Isn't it a bad idea to kill the emperor in broad daylight?"
Guo Si laughed at him and said, "Are you really going to kill the emperor?
If we kill the emperor now, the princes of Guandong will directly link up and come to kill us. Let them fend for themselves. As long as the emperor is in our hands, the pursuing army behind us will not dare to shoot arrows. "
Li Jue was quite angry and said, "This pursuer is really too much. Do they really think that my Xiliang Iron Cavalry is afraid of him? Let's go and teach him a lesson!"
Guo Si stopped Li Jue and said with a smile: "Xu Rong was in front of us just now. Let's hurry up and tell Xu Rong that there are pursuers behind us. We will win this battle!"
Xu Rong?
Li Jue's eyes lit up. Although Xu Rong was not very prominent in Dong Zhuo's army, that was because he did not fight for anything. Everyone knew that Xu Rong was the most skilled commander in the Xiliang Army. In fact, the battle outside Luoyang City was commanded by Xu Rong, but he encountered Luo Kong and killed Dong Zhuo directly.
No matter how powerful a general is, it would be impossible to save the situation in this situation. Xu Rong and Li Jue and Guo Si were different. When they saw that Dong Zhuo was dead, they led their troops directly to Guanxi.
Cao Cao's pursuit was going so smoothly that he immediately burst into laughter and instantly forgot what Xun You said.
"The strength of an army lies in its ability to obey orders. Now the Xiliang army has lost its will to fight and is no match for us.
The Xiliang army has no courage after the death of Dong Zhuo!
Li Ru’s death is a waste of wisdom!
Charge with me quickly, capture the bandit leader, rescue His Majesty, and return to Luoyang."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Western Liang army appeared on both sides of the valley. In an instant, arrows rained down, and the sound of cavalry appeared on both sides.
Cao Cao had no idea that he had fallen into an ambush again. He could not imagine how it was possible for the current Xiliang army to set up an ambush.
Xun You's parting words were still fresh in Cao Cao's mind, and he lamented, "I regret not listening to Xun Gongda's advice!"
(End of this chapter)
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