Chapter 661 The world is gradually at peace, and all states are quiet!
It is said that Yuan Shao led the Jizhou army returning from Luoyang and rushed to the front line without stopping.
As soon as he returned to Hebei, Yuan Shao suddenly felt how big the world was and he could roam freely.
Hebei is a land of talented people and wise counselors alike.
As soon as Yuan Shao arrived at the army, he looked at the counselors and generals in front of him, and the depression in his heart suddenly disappeared, and he felt his will surge.
Ju Su knelt on Yuan Shao's left hand. He was Yuan Shao's deputy, beyond the level of a counselor. Yuan Shao knew that Ju Su was best at governing, which was equivalent to a prime minister.
Yuan Shao took a deep breath and said loudly: "My lords, you have worked hard these days. I led the army to Luoyang, which left Jizhou empty and gave Gongsun Zan, a despicable man, an opportunity to take advantage of it. This is my mistake!
If Jizhou had not been defended by you, how could I, Yuan Shao, be sitting here today?"
As soon as Yuan Shao said this, all the civil officials and counselors, including Ju Shou, Shen Pei, Tian Feng, Xin Ping, Guo Tu, Feng Ji, and Xu You, as well as Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Zhang He, and Gao Lan, bowed their heads and cried, "My lord!"
Even Qu Yi, who was always arrogant, was shocked by Yuan Shao. He was different from those before. He was not Yuan Shao's subject, but Yuan Shao's ally and vassal.
Yuan Shao asked everyone to stand up and looked around. Ju Su was the representative of the gentry. Yuan Shao's adviser was Xun Chen, but the adviser was not there.
The most accomplished military strategists under his command were Shen Pei and Shen Zhengnan. Although Shen Zhengnan was a civil official, he had the ability to command troops. The ones who came up with numerous ingenious plans were Tian Feng and Yuan Hao. Yuan Shao believed that Tian Feng was no less than the strategists of ancient times.
Looking at these people, Yuan Shao was filled with heroic spirit, holding the sword in his hand, and said with emotion: "Gentlemen, I follow the great cause and go to Luoyang to help the Han Dynasty.
Gongsun Zan had tens of millions of soldiers and horses under his command, and the White Horse Volunteers, who roamed the world. However, Dong Zhuo caused chaos but did not think of repaying the Han Dynasty's kindness. He did not send a single soldier, but instead attacked our foundation and denounced our loyal ministers. He was so ambitious and treacherous, he was truly a tiger and wolf!
If I cannot raise my sword and kill him, and if I stand with him under the blue sky, I, Yuan Shao, will be ashamed in history!"
The master was humiliated and the servant died. Yan Liang and Wen Chou were already in tears and half-knelt, saying: "My lord, I am willing to be the vanguard and cut off Gongsun's head!"
Yuan Shao's words made everyone furious, but except for Yan Liang and Wen Chou, the others still felt that they could not go to war with Gongsun Zan now as it was too easy for accidents to happen.
Yuan Shao was also very clear about this. He asked Yan Liang and Wen Chou to stand up and said, "However, a man of honor is a hero if he knows how to deal with current affairs. Gongsun's army is strong and powerful, so we cannot fight them. I want to seek peace to plan for the future. Hebei has you all, and Gongsun Zan is nothing but dry bones in the tomb."
Ju Shou and other counselors breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that Yuan Shao did not take action. The current situation was not the time to fight to the death. Gongsun Zan was in the prime of his power. If they started a war now, it would be bad if they were defeated by Gongsun Zan's army in one wave.
However, when it came to asking for peace, everyone was also somewhat hesitant. It was not the case that Gongsun Zan would have to agree to peace just because they asked for it.
Yuan Shao had already prepared a plan in his mind, and said directly: "Don't bend your knees when seeking peace.
Gongsun Zan has the heart of a tiger and a wolf. If you beg him with humility, he will conquer the country today and attack the pass tomorrow. You may give him gold and silver today and cloth tomorrow, so that you can sleep well for one night, but Gongsun's troops will arrive again the next day.
If they retreat an inch, they will become ten times weaker. Isn't this Han and Wei's strategy of adding fuel to the fire while serving Qin?
Only by blunting his courage, breaking his will, making Gongsun afraid, encouraging the men of Hebei to take action, and not letting Yuan Shao of Jizhou be underestimated, can we truly make Gongsun Zan want to seek peace.
Do you agree with me?"
The officials of Hebei stood in awe, bowed, clasped their fists, and said in unison, "We will obey the Lord's orders!"
Everyone followed the order and went outside. Shen Pei suddenly said, "I would like to join you in defeating Gongsun!"
Everyone was a little surprised. Shen Pei was indeed a man of outstanding talent, but he had always been arbitrary, had a high opinion of himself, and did not like to listen to others. Now he actually said such a thing. How could this not shock everyone?
Shen Pei saw the expressions of the people, raised his head to the sky and said: "Since you are the subjects of the Yuan family, please do your best. The great cause of Hebei depends on the lord, not Gongsun Zan."
The meaning of Shen Pei's words is very clear. He wants to be loyal to Yuan Shao, and he is warning others not to try to betray him.
Although Ju Su and Shen Pei had some disagreements, they were both strong-willed and loyal subjects. They said with emotion, "Hebei is not only home to Shen Zhengnan, but also to Ju Su. Since I am your deputy, I will not serve two of you anymore!"
Shen Pei bowed and left. Yuan Shao appointed him as a military officer. All the generals in Hebei had to obey his orders. He had to make some preparations.
Only three days after Yuan Shao arrived, Gongsun Zan learned the news and led his troops to attack again. Shen Pei ordered the troops to hold their ground and not to attack in order to wear down Gongsun Zan's morale. Yuan Shao then went into the battle to encourage them in order to prevent the morale of the Hebei army from declining due to defending for too long.
Gongsun Zan attacked continuously but could not advance even a single step. Previously the counties and prefectures had surrendered upon hearing the news, but now they could not move an inch. This made Gongsun Zan quite angry. He thought that the army was at a disadvantage, so he actually went into battle himself.
Qu Yi was quite arrogant. He used to be active in Liang Province and later defected to Han Fu. However, he looked down on Han Fu because Han Fu did not value him, so he was not on good terms with Han Fu. Now that Yuan Shao appointed Shen Pei to lead the army, Qu Yi was still not convinced, thinking that as a mere scholar, how could he know how to lead troops and fight a war.
He believed that the generals in Hebei were all mediocre, so he led his elite private troops to fight against Gongsun Zan. Yuan Shao and Shen Pei did not learn the news until Qu Yi went out to fight.
In Yuan Shao's camp.
Shen Pei looked extremely unhappy. One of the characteristics of his arbitrary personality was that he hated people who disobeyed his orders the most. Qu Yi perfectly hit the point that Shen Pei hated the most.
"My lord, Qu Yi must be severely punished!"
Not only Shen Pei, but all the other ministers hated Qu Yi's behavior. At the critical moment of the confrontation between the two armies, he actually made such a move that was likely to lead to a complete loss. It was really unforgivable.
Yuan Shao did not express his opinion, but walked out of the camp and looked into the distance.
Gongsun Zan was quite surprised by Qu Yi's attack. The Baima Yi he rebuilt began to accelerate immediately. As soon as Qu Yi went into battle, he realized that he was too impulsive. This terrain was not very suitable for his performance, but he still went forward with gritted teeth.
He firmly believes that as long as he is strong enough, he can defeat everything!
Tian Feng knew what Yuan Shao was going to do when he saw his move, and he immediately advised, "My lord, this cannot be done. Qu Yi is trapped in the White Horse. If we attack now, the White Horse will surely follow us, and our army will suffer heavy losses."
Although Tian Feng was very intelligent, he was not an expert in military battles.
Yuan Shao looked at Shen Pei and his four pillars of Hebei. Although Shen Pei wished that Qu Yi would die in battle, he still dutifully replied, "My lord, if you send a brave general to lead the cavalry to cover the retreat, you can rescue Qu Yi.
But I do not recommend saving him. Such a reckless general should be made to pay the price as a warning to others!"
Yuan Shao held the sword and said loudly: "I will make a decision on what Qu Yi did after I come back, but if we watch him fall into a life-and-death situation without saving him, wouldn't it be disheartening to all the soldiers?
That's not what I want to see!
Where are Yan Liang and Wen Chou?"
In order to rescue Qu Yi, Shen Pei said that he needed to send powerful generals to the battlefield. Yuan Shao was worried that Zhang He and Gao Lan would resist. Only Yan Liang and Wen Chou would completely regard his words as oracles, so he had to use these two people.
Yan Liang and Wen Chou immediately stepped out and responded in unison. Yuan Shao ordered the two to lead the troops out to rescue Qu Yi. Although Qu Yi was trapped in the White Horse formation and could not get out, he was so brave that the White Horse could not capture him for a while.
But Qu Yi knew very well that if there were no other circumstances, his defeat was only a matter of time. This man was really fierce. Even at this time he was not afraid at all. The soldiers under his command were the same as him.
At this moment, Qu Yi clearly heard a loud shout, "Qu Zhengze!"
When Qu Yi looked up, he saw that it was Yan Liang and Wen Chou. He immediately knew that Yuan Shao had sent people to rescue him.
Yan Liang rushed forward. He was a match for ten thousand men. Not to mention the ordinary White Horse Volunteers, even a small captain could not withstand a blow from him.
Qu Yi felt ashamed. He always thought that Yan Liang and Wen Chou were just brave men and could not compare with himself at all. But now it was Yan Liang and Wen Chou who came to save him. How could he not feel ashamed?
Although Yan Liang and Wen Chou disliked Qu Yi, they carried out Yuan Shao's orders to the letter. After meeting Qu Yi, they immediately sought to break out of the formation. The white horses were extremely fast, but their armor was not thick enough, and they could not face the armored Hebei cavalry head-on. Seeing this, Gongsun Zan prepared to defeat the enemy with his elite armored cavalry.
Shen Pei led his army and scattered arrows all over the sky, forcing back Gongsun Zan's army that was about to pursue them. He had to watch Yan Liang and Wen Chou return to the camp, but Qu Yi's troops suffered heavy losses.
Gongsun Zan was quite dissatisfied. After days of attacks, the only result was achieved by Yuan Shao's army due to carelessness. This made Gongsun Zan very uncomfortable. He even had the idea of withdrawing his troops to attack Bohai County and then communicate with Qingxu to oppress Jizhou.
Yuan Shao naturally didn't know that his wish to force Gongsun Zan to cease fire had been partially achieved.
At this moment in Yuan Shao's camp.
Qu Yi's face was burning hot. He could feel the strange looks from others. A proud and arrogant man like him had come to this point. He almost wanted to commit suicide.
Yuan Shao looked at Qu Yi, who was covered in blood, and recalled his bravery in the White Horse Formation. He said in a deep voice: "Zhengze, you left the camp without permission, causing heavy casualties among the defeated soldiers. Do you admit this crime?"
There was really no room for quibbling. Qu Yi gritted his teeth and said, "Admit it!"
Yuan Shao stepped down from the top and came to Qu Yi, holding Qu Yi's shoulders and said seriously: "According to military law, I should at least punish you with a military stick, or even behead you, but I don't want to lose a great general because of this.
Although you are trapped in the White Horse formation, you are brave and your soldiers are willing to fight for their lives. You are surrounded but still manage to kill more with fewer people. Isn't this surprising?
If I, Yuan Shao, want to defeat Gongsun Zan one day, it will be difficult to win without the help of Qu Yi!
If I supply you with money and grain from Hebei, can you train such a strong army? Are you confident that you can defeat Gongsun Zan and wash away today's shame?"
Qu Yi's whole body was trembling. He held Yuan Shao's hand on his shoulder with both hands, knelt on one knee on the ground, and gritted his teeth and said, "My lord, one year! In just one year, Qu Yi will be able to train a strong army to defeat Gongsun Zan, wash away today's shame, and recover the entire Jizhou!"
Yuan Shao drew out the sword inlaid with pearls and jade from his waist and handed it to Qu Yi, saying in a deep voice: "One year, this is exactly what I want. Today, my Hebei civil and military officials have suffered disgrace at the hands of Gongsun Zan. Remember this day. One year later, I will lead my troops north to avenge the previous disgrace."
A military defeat was averted invisibly. A messenger outside the house hurried in and reported to Yuan Shao: "My lord, Xun Zhubu is back."
Xun Chen?
Everyone was shocked, and Ju Su asked directly: "If Youruo had not gone to Yinghou State to request mediation, how could he have returned so quickly?"
This was the question on everyone's mind. The messenger quickly continued, "My lord, along with Xun Zhubu came Luo's brave warriors, flying the Zhaogong Kingdom's Zhou clan Phoenix flag."
Dare warrior!
Duke Zhao!
These two words were like thunder, and the generals were still confused. The counselors present were all extremely wise. It is no exaggeration to say that except Guo Tu, at least four or five of the remaining six people have attributes above 90. They are a group of top people.
I immediately guessed that Duke Zhao might have come to mediate between the two parties as a small token of gratitude.
Ju Su and Tian Feng were overjoyed and said in unison: "My lord, great joy! We should go and welcome the envoy from Zhaocheng immediately!"
Yuan Shao had the same thought, and he knew Zhaocheng better. When he heard that brave warriors appeared here, he keenly realized that Zhaocheng regarded him, Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan as two vassal states, rather than local officials under the Han Dynasty.
They always talk about princes and lords, and now the Kingdom of Zhao really treats them as princes!
If you think about it more deeply, as one of the various states in the Xia Dynasty, the Luo family has already begun to look for the emperor who can rule the entire Xia Dynasty in the future!
Yuan Shao's heart couldn't help but beat wildly. The last bit of attachment to the Han Dynasty in his heart was wiped out by Luo's obvious move.
He could hardly contain his excitement, but he still forced himself to hold it back. Just like the first vassal state to provoke the Zhou emperor, he had to let others do it first so as not to become the target of public criticism.
The group hurried out to greet them, and saw Xun Chen and a son of the Luo family approaching together. Yuan Shao looked over and saw that they were familiar faces, none other than Prince Shu, the heir to the Zhaogong Kingdom. Yuan Shao bowed and said, "It feels like a long time since we last met. I hope you are doing well, Prince."
Luo Shu smiled and said to Yuan Shao in response, "Mr. Benchu, how are you? Your reputation is known all over the world, and all of my brothers and nephews admire you deeply."
Yuan Shao was delighted when he heard this, and the counselors and generals behind him also discussed with each other secretly. Gongzi Shu's words were quite meaningful. Does this mean that a young master of the Luo family wants to come to Hebei to join the officialdom?
After Luo Shu finished speaking, he did not give others a chance to react, and immediately continued: "Mr. Benchu, thank you for sending Queen Tang to Zhaocheng. My father was quite moved when he learned about the crisis in Jizhou.
"Since you are such a hero, Zhaocheng is willing to mediate so that the two families can live in harmony."
As expected by everyone, Zhao Cheng indeed came to mediate!
Everyone in Hebei was somewhat delighted. Under the current circumstances, Zhaocheng was willing to mediate between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan, which actually meant that he was leaning towards Yuan Shao.
In other words, Zhaocheng looked down on Gongsun Zan's actions in this war.
Yuan Shao bowed again and said solemnly: "Shao thanks Lord Zhao for his kindness. If there is a chance in the future, I will definitely repay you for your kindness today."
Yuan Shao was a very handsome man, and it was precisely because of his appearance that he was able to inherit the throne despite being a bastard's son. Now, he was full of heroic spirit, which made him look even more extraordinary. Luo Shu could not help but nod secretly.
At that time, he had spent too little time with Yuan Shao, and this time he came to observe and see what kind of person Yuan Shao was. Up to now, Yuan Shao has almost always been a top-notch leader, wise and decisive, and can be described as a man of extraordinary talent.
Gongsun Zan had already discovered the brave warriors. After all, the brave warriors were holding the Zhou clan's Phoenix flag and marching almost without any concealment.
But he didn't know why the brave warriors appeared here. When the brave warriors stationed at the edge of the battlefield between him and Yuan Shao's army, he had a bad premonition.
This ominous premonition soon turned into reality, and the brave warrior leader delivered a letter to the military camp.
"Mediation?"
Seeing the contents of the letter, Gongsun Zan was so angry that he laughed, "Our army has the upper hand now, and Zhaocheng is here to mediate? This is too much!"
Yes, that’s too much!
This is what Gongsun Zan thinks. This is not mediation at all. It is clearly Zhaocheng helping Yuan Shao to stop his offensive.
Gongsun Zan was naturally unwilling to do so because he was furious, but just as he was about to tear up the letter, he recalled that he had not made any progress against Yuan Shao's army in the past few days, and he also thought that the two thousand brave soldiers were on the edge of the battlefield and could join the war at any time.
Gongsun Zan was not too afraid of just two thousand warriors. No matter how strong the warriors were, they were still mortal. But when they were combined with the Hebei Army, Gongsun Zan began to hesitate.
He looked at his staff and asked, "What do you think? Do you want to accept Zhaocheng's mediation?"
Gongsun Zan was usually autocratic and dictatorial. When he asked this question, some people were unable to react, but some people immediately knew that Gongsun Zan had hesitated and was probably thinking about peace talks.
So he began to analyze the situation to Gongsun Zan based on the peace talks. For example, although our army's offensive was fierce, it had been fighting for a long time without success, the soldiers were tired, and the food and grass were insufficient. The counties in Jizhou had just surrendered, and the rear was not stable. If there was any change, even the road back to Youzhou might be closed.
After hearing one thing after another, Gongsun Zan immediately made up his mind. He didn't know that Tian Feng had also told Yuan Shao about these remarks, which was one of the reasons why Yuan Shao dared to fight him here.
Gongsun Zan was a warrior from the border county, and he was always resolute in his actions. Now that he had made up his mind, he said directly: "In this case, then inform Luo and Yuan Shao that our army is willing to negotiate."
Under the witness of Luo Shu, Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan signed a truce. Although it can be seen from the sharp eyes of both sides that this peace will not last long, at least for now, Jizhou has restored stability. For a while, the Western Regions, Liangzhou, Bingzhou, Sizhou, Jizhou, Youzhou, Qingzhou, and Yanzhou have all restored a brief stability.
In these states and counties, only the local princes were left to suppress the bandits, and there were no major battles between the princes. The intensity of the battle dropped instantly, and everyone was desperately accumulating strength.
…
After Luo Chu left Mi Zhu's house, he went straight from Donghai County to Guangling County, preparing to go directly to Wu County of the Yangzhou Provincial Government.
The Yangzhou Prefecture was a typical area with a large territory and a sparse population. The most populous county was Yuzhang, with 400,000 households. The populations of the remaining counties were all less than one million, but Wu was the essence of the Yangzhou Prefecture.
This place has been the essence of Jiangdong since the time of the Wu State. Later, the Xiang family governed here for hundreds of years. During the Han Dynasty and the Han Dynasty, the King of Wu was successively enthroned here. It can be said that many talents emerged here. The Taihu Plain is a rare large plain in the Jiangdong area and a very essential piece of the Yangtze River impact plain.
With the natural barriers of the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River as its support, it is the natural political and economic center of the Jiangdong region, especially Wu County, which is the seat of Wu County. The so-called Six Surnames of Jiangdong are actually the Six Surnames of Wu County, or to be more specific, the Six Surnames of Wu County.
Qiao Chu Gu Lu Zhu Zhang!
The main branches of these six aristocratic families are all entrenched in Wu County, while their branches occupy Wu County and even Yangzhou. Their influence is intertwined and they are intermarried. In the whole Yangzhou, there are more than a thousand officials who are descendants of the six surnames or relatives of the six surnames. It can be seen how powerful they are. Even the Yuan family in the Central Plains could not achieve this level.
Qiao Wei, the head of the Qiao family who invited Luo Chu to Jiangdong, is the uncrowned king of Jiangdong. He was appointed as Beijia Congshi as soon as he was crowned. As an assistant to the governor of Yangzhou, he has served under three governors of Yangzhou. The governor of Yangzhou kept changing, but he was either Beijia Congshi or Zhizhong Congshi, and always held the power firmly.
This is why Luo Chuan and Luo Qian hesitated when Qiao Wei invited Luo Chu to Jiangdong. This was a big shot that even they could not ignore. Why did he invite Luo Chu to Jiangdong?
There were some unexpected events in Luo Chu's plan to go to Wu County. After entering Guangling County, he met Sun Jian who came to hunt down bandits!
After being defeated by Luo Xiao, Sun Jian rushed to Jiujiang and Lujiang, preparing to gather righteous men again. When Dong Zhuo rebelled, he also wanted to go there, but was blocked by bandits.
Afterwards, Sun Jian changed his target and defected to Yuan Shu of the Yuan family. As a vassal of the Yuan family, he temporarily established his own rule in Jiujiang and Lujiang counties, then tried to march towards Danyang and finally entered Wu County.
He was extremely brave in battle. In terms of fighting alone, there were not many people in the world who could defeat him. However, he came from a humble background, which was his shortcoming. Then he met Luo Chu.
Sun Jian did not expect to meet a son of the Luo family, so he enthusiastically invited Luo Chu. Luo Chu knew Sun Jian, after all, he was one of the loyal princes.
During the banquet, Sun Jian learned that Luo Chu had actually received an invitation from the head of the Qiao family. His eyes became even more excited. He himself was from Wujun, and he knew very well that if he wanted to occupy Yangzhou, even with the support of Yuan Shu, it would be absolutely impossible without the support of these Jiangdong gentry.
If we can get the help of Master Chu, we will definitely be able to save a lot of effort when entering Yangzhou. Yangzhou has no governor now, and naturally no governor. There will never be a better time than now!
————
Ma Teng and Han Sui occupied Liangzhou, Li Jue and Guo Si occupied Sanfu, Zhang Ji occupied Hongnong, Lü Bu occupied Bingzhou, Yuan Shao occupied Jizhou, Cao Cao occupied Yanzhou, Gongsun Zan occupied Youzhou, and Liu Bei occupied Qingzhou. In the states north of the Huai River, there were heroes and villains who defended themselves and did not attack. The country was peaceful. It felt like a storm was coming, and the world was silent. The heroes occupied their positions, and chaos in the Han Dynasty was inevitable! ——"Heroes of the Late Han Dynasty"
If I update 10,000 words, I basically can't update it by 9:00 p.m., so I'll change the update time and update before 12:00 p.m.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
