Chapter 706: If you don’t say anything, what will the emperor say?
As soon as Luo Yan saw Qu Yi's expression, she knew he was in a dilemma.
But this is exactly what Luo Yan wants.
It is not good for a person to have no self-confidence, and it is also not good to be too conceited. It is a good thing to know that there are always people better than you.
Attacking Youzhou now can only be regarded as a simple mode of war. The future war with Liaodong and Yan State will not be as simple as it is now.
After conquering Youzhou, Hebei will have to take the place of the Youzhou warlords in resisting the Hu people.
There are two powerful enemies in Henan, Cao Cao and Liu Bei, neither of whom is easy to deal with. If we maintain our current arrogance, it is only a matter of time before we suffer defeat.
As the vanguard, Qu Yi led the army and pushed forward all the way. Almost no city could hold out for three days.
Yuan Shao led the army to follow behind to support them. The most important thing for the people in Hebei was to provide auxiliary troops and logistics for the vanguard death squad and the halberd soldiers.
Gongsun Zan and Liu Yu, who were fighting in Jicheng, did not expect that Yuan Shao would be able to kill his way into the heart of Youzhou from the border so quickly.
In this battle, Gongsun Zan, who controlled more troops, gradually gained the upper hand, but Liu Yu occupied Jicheng. With this big city in Youzhou, Gongsun Zan could not attack for the time being.
Facing Yuan Shao, who was clearly planning to attack Jicheng and take Youzhou in one battle.
Gongsun Zan and Liu Yu both knew that they could no longer fight and that they had to work together if they wanted to keep Youzhou.
But after this bloody fight, both sides had no trust in each other, and they were in this tentative confrontation.
The Hebei army has arrived!
Faced with the aggressive Hebei army, Gongsun Zan had to organize the Youzhou army to deploy defenses along the river.
The annihilation of the White Horse Volunteers dealt a heavy blow to Gongsun Zan, and almost destroyed his morale in one battle.
But the strength of the entire Youzhou is still there, and the white horses are, after all, only more than ten thousand.
Even if the Bai Ma were completely destroyed, Gongsun Zan could still mobilize tens of thousands of cavalry to fight.
In addition to the cavalry, there were also tens of thousands of Youzhou infantrymen, all lined up to meet the enemy.
When Gongsun Zan saw the big flag with the word "Yuan" on it in Hebei from afar, he became furious. When he saw the flags of the Xiandeng death squad from afar, he became even more furious, as if they were enemies meeting each other.
But there was naturally a hint of fear in his eyes, that was the powerful army that had completely knocked him down from the top.
Coming from Jizhou, they captured cities and strongholds without ever being defeated.
Now that there is no white horse, can we really win the battle?
Gongsun Zan rode his horse forward. He was handsome and majestic, wearing armor and a cloak on his back. He looked majestic and awe-inspiring, not at all like the withered bones in a grave as people in the world had said.
The reason why Gongsun Zan was looked down upon was probably because he insisted on being the lord.
If he had only been a cavalry commander, Li Jue, Guo Si and others would have all died, and the only people in the world who could be compared with him were Lu Bu, Zhang Liao, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao and Guan Yu.
As soon as Yuan Shao saw Gongsun Zan's actions, he knew that he wanted to talk to him, so he stepped forward immediately. Yan Liang and Wen Chou guarded him. When he walked to the front of the formation, Luo Yan also followed beside him.
When Gongsun Zan saw Yuan Shao approaching, he immediately shouted angrily, "Yuan Shao, you are recklessly using the sword. In the past, Duke Zhao made peace for the two of us. Are you going to break the alliance now?"
Yuan Shao was stunned. Didn’t the Battle of Jie Bridge already start? Why were they mentioning the Alliance of Duke Zhao now?
Gongsun Zan added: "I was appointed General Zhenbei by the imperial court.
At this time when we are fighting against the Hu people and the State of Yan, you, Yuan Shao, instead of thinking about serving your country, are attacking Youzhou.
You are a family of officials with four generations of nobility, but you are nothing but a rebel!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Listening to Gongsun Zan's angry curses, Yuan Shao did not get angry but laughed instead. His laughter was so loud that it even covered Gongsun Zan's voice.
When the laughter stopped, he said loudly: "When I was confronting Dong Zhuo in Luoyang and working hard for the Han Dynasty, you, Gongsun Zan, actually led your army to invade and seize my foundation.
King Zhao couldn't stand a shameless person like you, so he helped me stabilize Hebei.
You, a flagrant Han traitor, actually attacked Hebei under the banner of Liu Xie, the false emperor, in order to seize the foundation of Jizhou.
Five times and three times, repeated invasions.
Today he can still speak so shamelessly and clear himself of the charge.
Gongsun Zan, ah Gongsun Zan!
I once heard that during the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a man in the State of Song who boasted of being shameless and called himself the most shameless person in the world.
But when I met you, Gongsun Zan, today, I realized that there is always someone better than you, and there are always people better than you, and there are even more shameless people than the shameless ones.
It is truly the most shameless thing! "
Yuan Shao's hearty humiliation and scolding made everyone in Hebei laugh out loud.
Each of those facts and calling Gongsun Zan by his name stung him even more.
Gongsun Zan hated it. If the second war in the past could have destroyed Hebei, there wouldn’t be so many voices now.
Because the winner will have countless people whitewashing him.
But he failed twice, and all the things he did without caring about his reputation now came back to him like a boomerang.
As if he didn't want to let Gongsun Zan take all the credit, Yuan Shao had no intention of stopping his verbal attacks and continued, "Today, we, the soldiers of Hebei, have gathered here to inform the soldiers and people of Youzhou.
Gongsun Zan is a mere man, and cannot hold Youzhou. Youzhou and Jizhou should be united as one and belong to the Yuan family. "
As Yuan Shao was speaking, he suddenly heard a slightly older but quite deep voice, "General Yuan, this is absurd!"
Liu Yu!
He actually dared to walk out of Jicheng and come here with hundreds of soldiers.
Gongsun Zan's eyes became sharp, but he was not a fool after all, and he forced himself to restrain himself at this moment.
Yuan Shao looked at Liu Yu coldly. He had always thought that Liu Yu would be one of his allies.
But reality told him that these Liu clan members were indeed unreliable at critical moments.
Liu Yu could feel countless murderous intentions scanning him, but he didn't care.
He just used all his strength to shout loudly: "General Yuan.
I am the governor of Youzhou appointed by the imperial court.
It is I, not Gongsun Zan, who occupies the land of Youzhou.
This is the first fallacy in General Yuan’s words.
Even if General Yuan concurrently served as the governor of Youzhou and Jizhou, these two states did not belong to the Yuan family.
The governor of a province is the governor of the province on behalf of the emperor or Your Majesty.
Is it possible in this world that one would guard the land for his master but then steal from the master?
I think this is unreasonable.
This is the second fallacy in General Yuan’s words.
Your Majesty is the biological son of Emperor Ling and the younger brother of Emperor Xiaomin. Among the three generations of the royal family, there is no royal family member who is more closely related than Your Majesty.
Your Majesty is the undisputed emperor of the Han Dynasty.
He is definitely not the fake emperor as General Yuan said.
This is the third fallacy in General Yuan’s words.
With these three fallacies, I really don't know why General Yuan came here today?
Could it be that he is no longer willing to conceal the rebelliousness in his heart?
Could it be that he is no longer willing to conceal his intention to usurp the Han Dynasty?
Or was he deceived by the treacherous people, which resulted in the situation where both of us, as Han ministers, ended up fighting each other.
General Yuan, please go back. The Han Dynasty is in chaos. If we continue to consume each other, the country will no longer be a country!"
Liu Yu is truly a great man. What he said is well-reasoned and much better than what Gongsun Zan said just now.
Everyone in the world knows what happened in the You-Ji War. It was actually just a fight between warlords over territory, but this cannot be said.
Whoever says this is a land grab has lost the greater good.
It must be said that this was to help the people, and this was exactly the excuse Yuan Shao used to attack Youzhou.
In the manifesto, Gongsun Zan ruled Youzhou ruthlessly, and Yuan Shao was purging the treacherous officials of the Han Dynasty.
But after Liu Yu came out, this excuse no longer worked.
Liu Yu is a genuine relative of the Han royal family. In terms of blood relationship alone, he is also one of the relatives closest to the emperor.
Yuan Shao looked unhappy.
Luo Yan said loudly: "Mr. Liu is wrong.
Mencius said: The people are noble, while the king is light.
When it comes to the welfare of the people, even the emperor does not take it seriously, let alone the officials?
You are indeed the governor of Youzhou appointed by Emperor Ling.
But ask yourself, have the people of Youzhou ever enjoyed the benefits you brought them over the years?
Gongsun Zan was wantonly cruel in Youzhou, but you did not stop him, allowing the people to live in dire straits.
How can he claim to be the so-called governor of Youzhou now?
I have heard that the emperors and sage kings of ancient times all placed the highest importance on virtue, because only a virtuous ruler can rule the world.
A king who values virtue will select ministers with good moral character to guard his territory.
Gongsun Zan was bloody and brutal, and had nothing to do with good moral character.
Mr. Liu, you once had a reputation for good governance, but why are you unwilling to bring it to Youzhou?
Are the heroes and people of Youzhou not worthy of your good governance, Lord Liu?
Since Lord Liu is unwilling to show your virtue to the people of Youzhou, then naturally someone else will do it.
Our lord Yuan Shao is courteous to the capable and generous to the poor.
Treat those elderly people as if they were your own parents, and treat those children as if they were your own children.
Heaven can see such virtue, and the emperor should give him important tasks.
Now that there is no emperor in the Xia Dynasty, my lord has no choice but to shoulder the heavy burden himself, so as not to disappoint the people of the world!"
After Luo Yan said this, Yuan Shao immediately applauded, and the people in Hebei were also excited.
Both Yuan Shao's forces and Luo Chu's forces currently have a big problem.
That is, the official positions, titles, etc. of these two people are all self-appointed and have no legal source.
Nowadays, most of the princes in the world, such as Cao Cao, have Emperor Liu Xie in their hands.
After occupying Yanzhou and Henan County, Liu Hou came to the court, so the legality of this was naturally needless to say.
Liu Bei was a relative of the Han royal family, and he had the support of Ying Hou and the two Lu brothers.
Most of these officials accepted the rewards given by the court of Li Jue and Guo Si.
Yuan Shao's relative-in-law Lu Bu was officially appointed as the Governor of Bingzhou by the imperial court.
Only Yuan Shao and Luo Chu proclaimed themselves the governor of Jizhou and Yangzhou respectively.
Given their identities, it was quite embarrassing within the framework of the Han Dynasty.
Now Luo Yan said, is there anything greater than God in this world?
Of course not.
God’s will is greatest!
Is there anything more important than the people in this world?
Of course not!
Even the king must be listed after the people. If anyone has any objection, he can talk to Mencius or debate with the Mencius school.
Since the people are the most important thing in this world, virtue should be the most important thing.
Whoever can make the people live and work in peace and contentment should rule the people.
Yuan Shao may not be special compared to others, such as Liu Bei in Xuzhou.
But compared to Gongsun Zan, he is definitely much stronger.
And you, Liu Yu, can you get away with it by allowing Gongsun Zan to harm the people of Youzhou?
Words are like swords!
You can be a million-man division!
I thought I had a sure win in terms of justice, but I never expected that this Young Master Yan could come up with such a sophistry.
Ever since Luo Yan entered Hebei, everyone in the world knew that Yuan Shao had a son-in-law who was a member of the Luo family.
Luo Qi, the eldest son of Marquis Ying, served Liu Bei and also won the loyalty of the Xuzhou gentry for him.
The second legitimate son of Marquis Ying took control of Jiangdong and became the lord of the area.
Now Luo Yan is the third son of the Luo family to serve in officialdom, and he is not a minister, but has a close position equivalent to that of a relative by marriage.
Seeing him today, he is indeed extraordinary, in line with the world's imagination of the son of the Luo family, with both talent and beauty.
Liu Yu asked in a deep voice: "Yuan Shao, are you still a minister of the Han Dynasty?"
Still a Han minister?
This question was a question of life and death. If Yuan Shao dared to say that he was not a Han minister, the whole world would immediately attack him.
Even Lu Bu might have hesitated about what to do.
There are not many princes in this world who can openly say that they are not subjects of the Han Dynasty.
But if he said that he was a Han minister, he would fall into Liu Yu's trap.
Luo Yan whispered: “Father-in-law, you are of course a Han minister.
As the saying goes, the country is more important than the ancestral temple, and the ancestral temple is more important than the emperor!
You are a subject of the Han Dynasty, but not a subject of a false emperor.
The monarch you were loyal to died at the hands of traitors, and you are now a wandering minister.
After the Han Dynasty is revived, I will go to the monarch's mausoleum and ask where the world is going!"
Yuan Shao's expression was shocked. He squeezed Luo Yan's arm with joy in his eyes.
These words are quite consistent with Yuan Shao's usual attitude towards foreign countries.
He recognized Emperor Xiaomin's throne, but did not recognize Liu Xie's throne.
Yuan Shao said this to Liu Yu with full energy. This was his answer.
It was not only said to Liu Yu, but also to the people of Hebei, and also to the people of the world.
This is me, Yuan Shao!
Shameless!
This was the first thought of Gongsun Zan and Liu Yu. It was really shameless.
Without a king, how can there be ministers?
You can't even tell who your subject is, yet you can still brazenly say that you are a Han subject?
However, a group of counselors in Hebei looked at Luo Yan with shining eyes. They were all extremely smart people, and naturally they could appreciate from Luo Yan's seemingly sophistry remarks that there seemed to be a whole set of theories.
Liu Yu's mind was full of the idea that "I am the state".
But this set of ideas has too many flaws, and it is basically a target that can be arbitrarily abused.
Faced with what Luo Yan had learned, it could be said that she was completely powerless to fight back.
Especially after the Han Dynasty lost the throne to Zhu Xia, tying one's own hands and feet cannot be used to describe it, but it should be described as turning oneself into a human pig.
Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan were speechless. Luo Yan chuckled and said, "My lord, the enemy's morale has been lost. We must win first!"
"My dear son-in-law, what you said is absolutely right!"
Yuan Shao was in a good mood now, and immediately said: "Zhengze, let your troops be the vanguard and attack their left wing, and I will lead the central army to protect your wing with arrows!"
“Yes!”
Qu Yi clasped his fists in response.
————
Luo Yan is good at debate and has the style of a famous scholar. When he was young, he once debated with his father, who praised him: "Your words are very powerful and your speech is very great. Before I can finish my first sentence, you have already said three words. When you grow up, you will be a real orator." - "A New Account of Tales of the World"
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(End of this chapter)
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