Chapter 704 The Wind Rises (7000 words)
Jicheng.
This was originally the seat of Youzhou, but after Gongsun Zan was defeated twice by Yuan Shao, he became fearful.
Although Jicheng is a large city built since the Yellow Emperor period, it is located on the same plain as Jizhou. In other words, if the army coming from the south attacks Jicheng, Jicheng, like Yecheng, will have no strategic locations to defend.
Gongsun Zan wanted to relocate the seat of government and use the Yanshan Mountains to block the possible arrival of the Hebei Army.
But Liu Yu is the authentic governor of Youzhou!
Liu Yu was unwilling to relocate the seat of government because Youzhou was not a major grain-producing province in the Central Plains like Jizhou and Qingzhou. Its output was difficult to support the province and could only be maintained with difficulty.
If the seat of government is relocated, the manpower and material resources consumed will be enormous, and after the relocation, a large amount of material resources will need to be consumed continuously in order to maintain the political center.
In Liu Yu's view, that would only cause the entire Youzhou to collapse. He would never agree to sacrifice the entire Youzhou for Gongsun Zan's selfish desires.
The Youzhou gentry naturally all stood on Liu Yu's side. People were looked down upon when away from their hometowns, and if given a choice, basically no gentry was willing to develop elsewhere.
Under such circumstances, the conflict between Gongsun Zan and Liu Yu became more and more serious. Neither of them was willing to bow to the other, so the situation became increasingly tense.
This contradiction reached its peak when Liu Yu returned from Zhaocheng.
Going to Zhaocheng to hold a meeting with the princes won Liu Yu extremely high political prestige. He was originally a minister at the level of one of the Three Dukes, and had long since reached the pinnacle of being a minister, and had a high prestige throughout the world.
Now with some more help, Gongsun Zan was increasingly on the edge of Youzhou, but how could he sit there and wait for death? Coincidentally, an envoy from the State of Yan came to Youzhou quietly and delivered a letter of alliance.
…
Yecheng.
Spring goes and autumn comes again.
Warm light shone obliquely into the girl's boudoir. Zhen Mi was sitting in front of a glazed dressing table, carefully tracing the ends of her eyebrows. Luo Yan stood behind her, slowly inserting a hairpin.
The day when Zhen Mi came of age was considered to be the lowest age for marriage in the Luo family.
Zhen Mi asked softly, "My dear, you have been getting busier these days, but is there anything big going to happen?"
After Luo Yan entered Hebei, the interests of the original Hebei faction and Yingchuan faction naturally could not be touched at will.
However, his identity was Yuan Shao's son-in-law. In this era of family rule, using relatives was naturally politically correct.
Yuan Shao soon promoted him to advisory position and appointed him governor of Qingzhou, in charge of the military and political affairs of Qingzhou.
In today's Qingzhou, Yuan Shao occupied the northern part and had the vassal state of Zhang Yan, while Liu Bei occupied the two counties and kingdoms of Taishan County and Yinghou Kingdom.
Qingzhou is in a three-way balance of power.
The reason why Luo Yan was not appointed as the governor of Youzhou was that Luo Yan himself refused, and he also persuaded Yuan Shao to give up the move of appointing Yuan Xi as the governor of Youzhou.
The reason is quite simple. "Since the meeting in Zhaocheng, Gongsun Zan and Liu Yu are now at loggerheads in Youzhou. We can just wait and reap the benefits.
The Youzhou gentry have not yet reached the end of their rope.
If we appoint the governor of Youzhou now, it will make the nobles and powerful people of Youzhou feel united against the enemy, which is unwise."
Luo Yan made Yuan Shao retract his original idea. Upon seeing this, the civil and military officials in Hebei all looked at Luo Yan with admiration and deeply felt Yuan Shao's appreciation for Luo Yan.
While tidying up Zhen Mi's slightly messy hair, Luo Yan replied, "The chaos in Youzhou has already appeared. The people in Hebei are all plotting to gather food and fodder to capture Youzhou."
It's time to go to war!
Zhen Mi understood business struggles and court struggles, but she didn't understand these military affairs. She held Luo Yan's hand with some concern and said anxiously, "My dear, are you going to the battlefield?"
Luo Yan did not give a direct answer, but said tactfully: "Hebei will not be stable for long now, and there are powerful enemies in the Central Plains. We cannot sit in Yecheng in peace."
When the foundation was established, whenever there was a major war, the ruler of one side had to lead the army in person. There had never been a precedent of a monarch sitting still and ruling the world.
Especially in a war that determines the life and death of a force, it requires a series of decisions that ordinary people dare not make.
The monarch sits in the rear and watches the battle. Unless there is a commander-in-chief who he fully trusts to go into battle, he is almost certain to lose!
But regardless of whether there is such a commander or not, even if there is a commander with all-powerful powers, it is not as good as the monarch himself having no scruples.
A minister is a minister. There are some decisions that cannot be made, such as the decision of putting everything at risk, which is something a minister cannot make.
Yuan Shao had the power he had today because he decisively put his entire fortune on the line time and time again. This was the reason why he was able to defeat Gongsun Zan, who was stronger than him, twice and win a high reputation in front of Dong Zhuo.
If he had not been present during the two wars, the outcomes would have been drastically different.
When the six princes were fighting each other, all the princes were stationed in the central military camp and made their own decisions on all matters, no matter how big or small. That's how it was.
Time passes slowly.
All the civil and military officials of Hebei left Yecheng, taking tens of thousands of Hebei's most elite soldiers with them, and went secretly to Youzhou. Luo Yan stayed beside Yuan Shao, looking at the civil and military officials of Hebei, constantly calculating in his mind.
Yuan Shao said in high spirits: "Gongsun Zan is brave but not wise. He lost his troops and generals in the previous battle, and all the White Horses were lost. He has also lost the support of the scholars in Youzhou. The scholars in the prefectures and counties all follow Liu Youzhou and hate Gongsun Zan. Even the Gongsun family has split.
He is nothing but a pile of dry bones in a grave. This time we march into Youzhou, and the soldiers of Hebei will easily defeat him!"
After defeating Gongsun Zan twice in a row with the weak defeating the strong, Yuan Shao no longer took him seriously. Luo Yan thought to himself that something was wrong. Before leaving, Luo Shu had told Luo Yan some information about people.
Especially when Luo Yan looked up, she saw that all the civil and military officials in the tent had the same expression, even Tian Feng, who had always been upright and daring to speak out. Gongsun Zan really didn't need to be taken to heart, but it was not okay to let Yuan Shao get so arrogant.
Luo Yan rolled her eyes and said with a smile: "My lord, you are right. Hebei has a strong army with thousands of generals and countless soldiers and horses.
And we have your relative Lu Fengxian as external aid. Who else in the world can help us but me?
Not to mention the dead bones in Gongsun Zan's tomb, even if Gongsun Zan knew he could not win and fled to the Yan State in Liaodong, we in Hebei can still defeat him.
After we win a great victory in Youzhou, we will use the momentum of the victory to sweep across Liu Bei in Qingxu and Cao Cao in Yanyu, and achieve great success. "
?
In the camp, apart from the two fools Yan Liang and Wen Chou, not to mention the group of intelligent counselors, even generals like Zhang He and Gao Lan, which one of them is not a smart man?
They could still understand Luo Yan's sarcasm, especially since what Luo Yan said was too real and very likely to become reality.
Yuan Shao's face looked a little solemn. Liaodong Yan State, Cao Cao, and Liu Bei were all opponents that could not be underestimated. Especially now there were rumors that Cao and Liu had formed an alliance. If the two of them freed up their hands and attacked Hebei together, it would be an extremely difficult war.
Yuan Shao put away his nonchalant expression and said solemnly: "Everyone, Zi Yan is right. Gongsun Zan and Liu Yu are not my opponents in Hebei, but the Yan State in Liaodong should not be underestimated.
If Yan State occupies Youzhou, Hebei will be in danger!"
Although the Yan State has a sparse population, its combat effectiveness is extremely strong. It has developed to its current situation by simply seizing half of Youzhou. If it could obtain the other half of Youzhou, it is hard to imagine how powerful it would be.
The most terrifying thing is that Jizhou has no defenses against Youzhou!
The so-called Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun in later generations were located in Youzhou, while Jizhou was a large plain without any natural mountains and rivers. It is no exaggeration to say that if Yuan Shao had not led his troops to confront Gongsun Zan at Jie Bridge, Gongsun Zan would have led the Youzhou cavalry to directly break through Yecheng.
Xun Chen groaned and said, "My lord, it seems that our army needs to fight quickly and decisively.
Defeat Gongsun Zan's army quickly, accurately and ruthlessly, eliminate the threat to Youzhou, capture Jicheng, and then hold Yanshan in Youzhou.
We need some cooperation from Liu Youzhou, otherwise it will be easy for Gongsun Zan to escape."
…
Yuan Shao mobilized all his elite troops, but naturally he could not hide the truth from Gongsun Zan who had been keeping an eye on Yuan Shao. He knew that another war was about to break out.
As long as there is a war, he has a say, so he went to the governor's mansion excitedly. He had been suppressed too severely in the past, and now he has turned over a new leaf. He said to Liu Yu proudly: "Liu Youzhou, you have always wanted to settle the matter peacefully, but I am afraid that it cannot be done as you wish now.
Then Yuan Shao, mobilize all the troops in Hebei to attack Youzhou!
If you want to protect Youzhou, you still have to rely on the troops in my hands."
When the scholars around Liu Yu saw Gongsun Zan's rampage, they shouted angrily, "How dare you speak to the envoy like that? It is extremely disrespectful to disrespect the head of a state!"
Liu Yu stopped the angry crowd and said to Gongsun Zan in a cold voice: "General Yuan led his troops to Youzhou not to attack Youzhou, but to help Youzhou defeat the enemy.
It is said that the State of Yan wanted to attack western Liaoning and seize Youzhou again, and the countless Hu tribes on the grassland also wanted to go south to plunder.
As the Zhenbei General and Marquis of the county appointed by the imperial court, you hold great power in the state, but you do not think about protecting Youzhou, but always think about your own selfish interests, and then fight with General Yuan.
Today, the country is divided into pieces, and emperors have been in the hands of treacherous officials one after another. You and I have both received great favors from the country, but you have failed to avenge the country. You should have worked together to serve the royal family, but instead you have engaged in this kind of internal strife.
I despise being a Han minister like you."
Gongsun Zan was furious when he heard this and said, "Liu Bo'an!
The number of Hu people I, Gongsun Zan, have killed in my lifetime is enough to build a Jingguan outside Jicheng. If there were really Hu people invading Youzhou, I would draw my sword and lead them to attack. If you were not weak and incompetent, I would have killed all the Hu people in Youzhou long ago. How could there be so many hidden dangers left behind?
Today you actually dare to criticize me for this, are you trying to bully me?"
Liu Yu was able to suppress his anger, but when he mentioned the Hu people, he said angrily: "If you hadn't killed so many people, the situation in Youzhou would not be so difficult.
If you can really kill all the Hu people and eradicate them completely, would I stop you?
For thousands of years, even King Su had no other way to deal with the hiding Hu people, let alone you, Gongsun Zan!
If you had not caused the unwarranted killings that led to the defection of those Hu people in the border counties who were loyal to the Han Dynasty, how could the Han Dynasty have been defeated by the Yan State and how could the borders of the Han Dynasty have been in turmoil every day?
This is the good thing you did!
You are still speaking nonsense here today, it's really meaningless."
The two of them were really angry with each other during their conversation. This was due to their completely different ideas. Gongsun Zan left angrily, and after he walked out of the governor's mansion, the anger in his eyes seemed to burn through the entire mansion.
In the governor's mansion, Liu Yu suddenly retracted his angry expression, and in an instant his face was filled with melancholy.
Liu Yu's son Liu Shen also asked with a worried look on his face: "Father, if you reject Gongsun Zan, will he just raise an army on his own?
I also launched the attack on Jizhou without your consent before."
Liu Yu paced in the hall and thought, "Yuan Shao came to Youzhou with great ambitions!"
"ah?"
When Liu Shen heard his father say such a thing after hesitating for a while, he was quite surprised and said, "Father, didn't you just say to Gongsun Zan..."
Liu Yu glared at Liu Shen and said, “Of course, that was a lie to deceive Gongsun Zan.
We must find a way to get rid of Gongsun Zan. If the Youzhou army continues to be controlled by Gongsun Zan, Youzhou will really be in danger.
He couldn't defeat Yuan Shao when he had the advantage, so how could Gongsun Zan be a match for Yuan Shao now?
Yuan Shao wanted to be the lord of Youzhou.
Although the current emperor was supported by Dong Zhuo, and although the current emperor has various problems, he is still the emperor of the Han Dynasty.
Yuan Shao's disdain for the current emperor shows that his rebelliousness towards the Han Dynasty is almost obvious.
We must not let him get Youzhou. As a relative of the Han dynasty, this is the last thing I can do."
Liu Shen opened his mouth to say something, but Liu Yu saw him and said sternly, "Shen'er!
Remember those books your father made you read when you were a child?
Do you remember "Record of the Death of Bangzhou"?
Liu Yu's voice was filled with murderous intent. Liu Shen trembled all over and said fearfully, "Father, remember!"
"Memorize the chapters on clan members and maternal relatives!"
Liu Shen knelt on the ground with a thud and began to recite those relatives and in-laws who had died in the history of Bang Zhou.
After an unknown amount of time, Liu Yu calmly said, “Remember, these people are your role models. As a relative of the Han Dynasty, if you don’t have the courage to die for your country, you are not qualified to wear the identity of the royal family.
I wish I could kill those scums among the Han royal family like Liu Biao and Liu Yan with my own hands!
If the Han Dynasty were to fall one day, you would inherit its legacy, just like Liu Bei, and take it upon yourself to restore the Han Dynasty."
Liu Shen asked in a deep voice: "Father, since Yuan Shao wanted to overthrow the Han Dynasty, why did you not agree to Gongsun Zan's attack on Yuan Shao just now, but instead wanted to create internal strife?"
Liu Yu walked to the geomancy map and said slowly: "Father will teach you one more thing.
If you want to accomplish great things, not only must you be able to accomplish things yourself, but those who ally with you must also be able to accomplish things, otherwise they will only be dragged down in vain.
Gongsun Zan is a useless person who can accomplish nothing. Allying with him will lead to the end of all hope.
If you want to repel Yuan Shao from outside, you must first stabilize Gongsun Zan from inside. Only by getting rid of Gongsun Zan and completely uniting Youzhou will there be hope of resisting Yuan Shao.
If you fail, it is fate, and you cannot blame others."
Liu Shen seemed to be meeting his father, who was always known for his kindness, for the first time, with surprise in his eyes. Liu Yu had never taught Liu Shen these things before, but since he had mentioned them today, he might as well say more.
"Shen'er, why do I always advocate leniency?
It's not that I like to be lenient, but I have to be lenient.
Before you do something, you must know what your goal is. Why do I look down on Gongsun Zan? Because he only knows how to kill, kill and kill. After so many years of killing, Youzhou is still like this, and the situation on the border has even worsened.
He didn't know what he wanted, he just wanted to kill the Hu people. Those Hu people were like the grass on the grassland, growing in clumps, and it would be impossible to kill them all.
Back then, King Su set out from Haojing to the east, killing people along the way. He was truly invincible, but even King Su eventually returned to Haojing and no longer launched large-scale wars.
Because Bang Zhou could not gain any benefit from those wars, but instead had to waste a lot of resources.
Who the hell is Gongsun Zan? Can he do what King Su can’t do?
My father came to Youzhou with only one goal, which was to ensure the peace in Youzhou and to build an order where the Hu people could survive without looting, and then slowly use the Han people's population advantage to gradually drive the Hu people northward or have them live together.
By obtaining resources from the Hu people in exchange, Youzhou could operate on its own and maintain the rule of the Han Dynasty without the support of Jizhou and Qingzhou.
Those Hu people could even serve as a barrier for the Han Dynasty to resist attacks from the Hu people further north and the State of Yan.
Unfortunately, it was all destroyed by Gongsun Zan. All the Hu people in Youzhou and Liaodong gathered under the command of Yan State, and the various righteous armies that had surrendered to the Han Dynasty in the past became dogs of Yan State.
Hateful! "
Liu Yu made sharp comments about Gongsun Zan here, but he didn't know that after Gongsun Zan returned home, he met a very kind-looking man, who was chubby and dressed like a rich man.
But his identity was not simple. He was a great noble of the State of Yan. Yet he came to Gongsun Zan alone. One had to praise him for his courage.
The moment Gongsun Zan saw Murong Sheng, his hair stood on end. He looked around, quickly closed the gate, and whispered, "Why are you here?"
Murong Sheng smiled and said, "Lord Bogui, why are you so careful? Is it taboo for me to come and see you?"
After Murong Sheng's words, Gongsun Zan finally realized that there really was no need for that. The Central Plains and the State of Yan were not completely disconnected, and there were still goods traded with the Hu tribes. It was nothing for a Yan merchant to appear in Gongsun's mansion.
Seeing Gongsun Zan's reaction, Murong Sheng smiled and said, "Lord Bogui, what do you think of what our king said in the letter I sent you a few days ago?"
The reason why he came to find Gongsun Zan was very simple. The Gongsun family was a prominent family in Liaoxi and happened to be blocking the place where Yan State entered Youzhou. If Gongsun family was willing to serve Yan State, then Yan State would be able to enter Youzhou without any effort and even occupy the entire Youzhou.
Gongsun Zan is now the most prominent figure in the Gongsun clan. More than half of the Gongsun clan members rely on Gongsun Zan. The power of the other heirs is relatively weaker than that of Gongsun Zan.
Gongsun Zan sarcastically said: "I really don't know why you, the King of Yan, dare to come to me, Gongsun Zan, to surrender. Have you forgotten that you were defeated by me many times?
I am now a great vassal of the Han Dynasty, and my population and military strength are not inferior to your Yan State. You actually tried to recruit me, which is simply ridiculous. "
Facing Gongsun Zan's sarcastic words, Murong Sheng was not angry, and still said with a smile: "My Lord is a genius, and because he admires Lord Bogui's heroic deeds on the battlefield, he sent me here to recruit him.
Youzhou is indeed a prosperous land, but it is a pity that this land does not belong to Duke Bogui!
Its governor seemed to be surnamed Liu, a relative of the Han royal family.
There was another person in Jizhou in the south, named Yuan Shao.
They are eyeing Youzhou covetously and want to chop off your head at any time to make it known to the world.
There are enemies both inside and outside. I am worried about Duke Bogui. If one day you feel that you have nowhere to go, please flee to Liaoxi, where the men of Yan will come to support you.
That's right.
As a sign of Yan's sincerity, I can tell you that Liu Yu has been preparing to attack you recently, and your life may be threatened at any time."
After saying this, he turned around and left without any hesitation. As for whether Liu Yu really wanted to kill Gongsun Zan, he didn't know. Liu Yu was still quite cautious about this aspect, and the State of Yan did not have the ability to arrange people around Liu Yu.
But that doesn't matter.
Liu Yu had reasons to kill Gongsun Zan, so no matter whether he killed him or not, no matter whether he was willing to admit it or not, as long as Murong Sheng said so, it made sense.
This is a naked conspiracy!
Gongsun Zan was a little upset by this attack, because there was a hint of contempt in his words. Murong Sheng was saying that he was not as good as Liu Yu or Yuan Shao.
Murong Sheng's last sentence made Gongsun Zan's hair stand on end again.
"Liu Yu wants to kill me?"
He only doubted it for a moment before accepting the truth of this statement, because he himself was always thinking about killing Liu Yu. Judging from his own experience, Liu Yu was not a truly honest man, so it was understandable that he wanted to do so.
"This old bastard Liu Yu actually wants to kill me!"
Gongsun Zan gritted his teeth, anger rising from his heart, his eyes turned red almost instantly, "Liu Yu!"
Dark clouds drifted with the wind, blocking the sun in the sky, and the shadow instantly covered the entire Ji city.
People are murderous.
…
The entire Youzhou is full of spies, and it is impossible to tell who sent them. All the troops from Hebei have been stationed in Youzhou. As early as the last time Gongsun Zan was defeated and fled, some cities in Youzhou were captured and used as forward outposts for the subsequent army.
Now, tens of thousands of soldiers are deployed on the battlefield, stretching for a very long distance, and food and grass are continuously coming from Jizhou behind them.
Here, Yuan Shao started the first meeting of all civil and military officials in Hebei to discuss the specific attack plan.
In this attack on Youzhou, in addition to defending against Cao Cao and Liu Bei's men, almost the entire Hebei province came out in full force, determined to take it down in one go.
Yuan Shao looked around at everyone and said loudly: "This time when we attack Youzhou, we have many soldiers and generals in Jizhou, and we have sufficient food and grass. We will definitely win a great victory, but how to win is a very crucial issue.
You are all heroes of Hebei. If you have any opinions, please express them here. Once agreed upon, it cannot be changed and must be strictly implemented. "
Qu Yi was the first to step out. He clasped his fists and bowed to Yuan Shao. He stood up and looked around at everyone around him. Then he raised his head and said, "My lord, no matter how the battle plan is arranged later, I will be the vanguard. We will attack the city and capture the stronghold. We will be the first to attack and kill the enemy. The first to climb the mountain will be unmatched."
There is a saying in Hebei today that "Among the four pillars of Hebei, Qu Yi is at the center." Qu Yi is the undisputed number one general in Hebei today!
Seeing his favorite general's confident expression, Yuan Shao laughed loudly and said, "Okay, Zhengze, you will be the vanguard of our army. Gongsun Zan has lost his White Horse Volunteers, but the other soldiers under his command should feel the strength of the Vanguard Soldiers and the Halberd Soldiers. This is called fairness!"
As he spoke he burst into laughter, and everyone in the tent laughed along with him. The vanguard soldiers and halberd soldiers were the most elite legions in Hebei today, a combination of heavy crossbowmen and heavy armored soldiers.
Only a few thousand have been trained in the whole of Hebei.
In recent years, whenever a camp was difficult to conquer, as long as the first-line soldiers and the halberd soldiers took action, they would be successful.
Luo Yan sat in the first seat on the right, silently observing everyone in Hebei.
These counselors and generals in Hebei are all extremely capable people, but it is precisely because of this that the fight has become more intense.
Especially in a favorable battle like the one in Youzhou, these people are not only thinking about victory, but also about gaining enough benefits for their faction in the event of victory.
Each of them hoped that Yuan Shao would listen to their advice and win, so that they would be ranked at the top when rewards were given.
And what about Yuan Shao?
It is also necessary to consider the distribution of interests of each faction. When adopting opinions, we should not only consider the rationality of the opinions themselves, but also consider the way to win.
This approach is bound to have numerous loopholes and is bound to give the opponent opportunities.
When the dragon really hits your face, it’s not a big deal, but the most frightening thing is that you think you have a sure win, but the opponent seizes the opportunity and kills you in one wave.
That would be like dying at the hands of others and being laughed at by the whole world.
After Luo Yan came under Yuan Shao's command, he felt that he did not need to make any suggestions because there were enough strategists in Hebei.
Especially Ju Su, Xun Chen, Shen Pei and Tian Feng, all of them are gifted and are no less capable than any other counselors.
What he needs to do most is to promote relations among these people, prevent factional struggles from becoming the mainstream in Hebei, and prevent Hebei from falling into crazy internal friction.
As long as Hebei works together, it will have nothing to fear from the world.
Yuan Shao agreed to Qu Yi's request so easily, firstly because he trusted Qu Yi and Qu Yi was the most elite general under his command, and secondly because Qu Yi did not belong to the Hebei faction.
In the battle to attack Youzhou, Yuan Shao hoped that the Yingchuan faction and lone ministers like Qu Yi could make great contributions.
Because Hebei is a land of outstanding people and talented people, and because it developed locally, the Hebei faction became increasingly powerful under Yuan Shao.
In particular, Yuan Shao let Ju Su govern the country and Shen Pei command the army, which made the Hebei faction increasingly powerful.
But there was no other way. The Yingchuan faction had no talents in this area, so Yuan Shao had to make full use of their talents and let the Hebei faction take over.
The only thing that reassured Yuan Shao was that Ju Shou and Shen Pei were rare loyal ministers, and Tian Feng was an upright person. Although the famous scholars in Hebei had their own interests in their hearts, there were also many loyal and upright people.
As Qu Yi expressed his opinion, everyone in the tent was about to speak freely when a messenger suddenly shouted outside the camp. Yuan Shao hurriedly asked the guards to call him in. As soon as the messenger walked into the camp, he knelt on one knee and said, "My lord, there is a letter from Jicheng!"
(End of this chapter)
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