Chapter 737 Yuan Shao dies!
The Guandu battlefield was covered with dark clouds, the mountains and rivers were rumbling, and heavy rain was drifting down from the sky and the ground, as if thousands of people were crying in unison.
Yuan Shao's army retreated.
For some soldiers who did not have time to retreat, the rain hit their armor, making a tinkling sound. They hurriedly took off their armor because of the cold, and their mood became even heavier.
Yuan Shao led the officials of Zhao State and risked crossing the river in the heavy rain without any pursuit and then set up camp.
After the tents were set up, the group hurriedly changed out of the clothes that were sticking to their bodies.
Yuan Shao waited and waited, but still did not see Yan Liang and Wen Chou return.
So he looked at the ministers of Zhao State, and Ju Su, Tian Feng, Zhang He, Qu Yi and other Zhao civil and military officials also looked at him.
Xu You suddenly stepped out, knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to go to Cao's camp and persuade Cao Cao to delay the attack.
Cao Cao is a treacherous hero in troubled times!
He is definitely not a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. Although he now uses the power of the Han Dynasty as an excuse, he is actually thinking about destroying it in his heart.
Now Cao Cao is about to become the number one prince in the world.
The desire in his heart must have been difficult to suppress.
The longer our Zhao State exists, the greater the damage it will cause to the prestige of the Han Dynasty. Cao Cao would not fail to understand this.
There was an accident with the previous letter. Now I will pretend to surrender and then offer advice to Cao Cao, and I will surely succeed.
I wish to use my body to continue the destiny of Zhao State!"
Xu You?
It was beyond everyone's expectation that Xu You, who had always been greedy for money and had no manners, would actually recommend himself.
When something is abnormal, there must be something wrong.
Someone immediately thought that the false surrender might be fake, and real surrender is the real thing!
Everyone knows that Xu You is Cao Cao’s childhood friend.
If Xu You defected, Cao Cao would be able to learn the complete situation of the Zhao army.
That would be a devastating disaster for the State of Zhao, which was already at a disadvantage.
Xu You knelt on the ground with cold sweat on his head. He knew that he had a bad reputation in Zhao State and that his position in Yuan Shao's heart was gradually losing. By saying this, he took a big risk.
Yuan Shao was still feeling a little chilly from the cold rain; his face was pale and even his voice was trembling.
But his voice was gentle and powerful, and he smiled softly, "Okay, Ziyuan, go ahead. The safety of Zhao State rests on your shoulders."
Xu You only felt that a ray of light suddenly broke through the dark clouds in the sky and shone on him.
He bowed his head, and then said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, there is no time to lose. I will set out immediately to avoid being discovered by the other princes."
After saying this, he bowed to the other people from Zhao State, took his straw raincoat and bamboo hat, and left the camp.
All the ministers of Zhao State were looking at Xu You's back. Some of them showed contempt, while others were quite dissatisfied and had expressions of hatred.
Qu Yi said directly in dissatisfaction: "Your Majesty, I think this Xu You is..."
"Regularity!"
Yuan Shao interrupted Qu Yi and said slowly to everyone: "We have nothing to lose, so we can gain everything."
Yuan Shao's words made everyone quiet down. Tian Feng thought for a long time and then stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, what Xu You said just now makes sense. The princes of the Han Dynasty have gathered together, but the most resolute person among them is probably Liu Xuande.
It is difficult to persuade Cao Cao to rebel, but it may be possible to persuade other princes to rebel.
After all, once our Zhao State is destroyed, Cao Cao or Liu Bei will become the number one prince in the world. Do other princes want to see that scene?
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, all the countries in the world joined together to attack the strongest country, causing it to be severely weakened and unable to have the strength to unify the world.
Although the world today is different from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, what are the differences in essence?
Our Zhao State has already declined and is no longer as powerful as it once was. If we don't take action against Cao Cao and his people now, when will we take action?"
Yuan Shao listened and felt helpless. Tian Feng was really worthy of his name. Obviously, everything he said was right, but every word was pleasing to the ear. Saying things like "Once the State of Zhao is destroyed" and "The State of Zhao has already declined", wasn't it just courting death to say such things?
But Yuan Shao seemed to be increasingly groggy at the moment, and he forced himself to say to Tian Feng: "Yuan Hao is right, you two can discuss and see which prince is best to contact.
Our Yuan family has three officials in four generations, so we still have some reputation in the world.
Tan'er has already married, Xi'er has also married the daughter of Jimo Lu, and Shang'er is married. The position of the first wife can be taken out, and Tan'er's child can be arranged to marry first."
Yuan Shao's voice was a little low.
Although the Yuan family seems to be on the decline now, in this era, it is not all about power, and the Yuan family's identity is still quite useful.
Of course, when they are killed, they are also quite easy to kill.
Everyone noticed that Yuan Shao was a little tired, so they left one after another. Yuan Shao asked them to go and discuss the matter.
We need to come up with a charter as soon as possible.
Even now I can't give up.
The war is not over yet!
…
It is said that Xu You was galloping on his horse in the heavy rain. Even though he was wearing a straw raincoat, some rain still seeped into his body, and he felt a biting cold all over.
But Xu You seemed to be unaware of anything. Between the vast sky and earth, there was rain and mud pits everywhere. He only dared to run along the main road, otherwise he would not be able to find the way at all.
The horse's hooves landed in the muddy puddle. Xu You stumbled and fell directly into the puddle.
“Ahhhhhh!”
Xu You really couldn't help but yelled loudly, but in the heavy rain, his voice couldn't be heard at all.
Xu You crawled out, his whole body was covered in mud and water. Perhaps he had never been so dirty in his life.
After Xu You finished yelling, he calmed down a little, got back on his horse, and disappeared in the heavy rain.
Cao Camp.
All the Cao army members were looking at the heavy rain anxiously. If it hadn't been for the heavy rain, perhaps they would have continued to chase and kill Yuan Shao's army.
Even if the rain stops and the roads become muddy and difficult to walk on, it will give Yuan Shao's army a chance to regroup, and they may even be defeated by their well-rested troops.
"What? Someone claiming to be Xu You is coming to surrender?"
Cao Cao was a little surprised. He looked at the continuous heavy rain and had no idea why Xu You would come to surrender at this time.
He sat calmly in the camp and said to the soldier who came to report, "Let Xu You in."
The top leaders of Cao’s army were basically in the camp.
When Xu You walked in, covered in mud and with every step full of muddy water, Cao Cao could not help but frowned, and then asked directly: "Ziyuan, why are you here in my camp instead of giving advice in Yuan Benchu's camp?"
Cao Cao was still very unhappy with Xu You's behavior of helping Yuan Shao instead of himself, and it was quite obvious in his words.
Xu You bowed directly and said: "Xu You greets the Prime Minister. Xu You is here to seek refuge with the Prime Minister.
Yuan Benchu was ignorant of destiny and arrogant. He did not adopt the advice given by You, which resulted in a great defeat, and he even blamed You for it.
You had long been dissatisfied with this, and took advantage of the heavy rain to flee and surrender to the Prime Minister."
Cao Cao still believed that Xu You was capable of doing such a thing.
But he deliberately made things difficult by asking, "I wonder if Ziyuan can be of any use to my court?
There are so many talented people in my court, I am afraid there is no extra position for you."
Xu You bowed and said, "Prime Minister, I know the current situation of Yuan Shao's army and can help you defeat Yuan Shao with fewer casualties."
hiss!
Everyone in the camp gasped when they heard this. This was crucial information. If Xu You really knew it, his role could even be greater than that of an entire battalion of soldiers.
Cao Cao was obviously interested, so Xu You roughly told him what he knew and what he had made up, half true and half false, and no one could tell the truth.
Cao Cao checked it briefly with his own intelligence and found that there was no problem. Some deviations were normal.
Thinking of this, Cao Cao laughed loudly and said, "Well, Ziyuan, you should have come to me a long time ago. You and I are old acquaintances. It is really unwise for you to help Yuan Shao instead of me."
Cao Cao knew that Xu You had talent.
But the most important thing was that Xu You's coming to join him gave him a feeling that he had completely defeated Yuan Shao.
An old acquaintance between the two of us, he is now on my side!
Who said that I, Cao Mengde, am not as good as Yuan Benchu?
The others in Cao's camp looked at Xu You with some contempt. He was such a villain to betray Yuan and join Han at this time.
Who wants to work with a villain?
After receiving Xu You's information, everyone started discussing it enthusiastically without avoiding mentioning Xu You.
The heavy rain gradually stopped, and everyone left the tent, but Xu You did not leave. Cao Cao asked in surprise, "Ziyuan, do you have anything else to say?"
Xu You hesitated to speak, then knelt down and said, "Prime Minister, I have just surrendered to you, so I should keep a low profile, but I have something to say that I cannot help but express."
Cao Cao's eyes became deep, and he said in a deep voice: "Ziyuan, please speak again."
Xu You said, "Prime Minister, I once proposed a plan to Yuan Shao, which was not to engage in such a big war, but to defend Zhao State.
The longer Zhao holds on, the lower the prestige of the Han Dynasty will be. The princes of the world will see the weakness of the Han Dynasty. At that time, it will not only be Yuan Shao who claims that the kingly way is few.
But Yuan Shao did not adopt You's suggestion.
Now You wants to propose to you to suspend the attack on Yuan Shao and allow the pseudo-Zhao dynasty to continue. In this way, the prestige of the Han Dynasty will be reduced.
When you, Prime Minister, become king or emperor, the people of the Han Dynasty will be completely destroyed. Isn't that wonderful?"
Cao Cao had already drawn his sword when he heard this, pointed it at Xu You and shouted angrily, "Xu You, are you saying something rebellious?"
Xu You was frightened for a moment, then he suddenly found the courage to ask loudly, "Prime Minister, do you really want to be a Han official for the rest of your life?
Are you planning to be King Luo Wen and Huo Guang?
If this is really the case, then please kill Xu You. Xu You is not assisting the so-called Emperor Jian'an!"
Xu You's voice was extremely high, so high that even Cao Cao did not expect it and his ears were buzzing.
At this moment, he looked at Xu You deeply. The man in front of him was obviously a greedy and slick person, but now his words were as sharp as metal and there were swords in his eyes!
Xu Chu and Dian Wei were standing behind Cao Cao. When they heard Xu You yelling at Cao Cao, they immediately stepped forward and shouted angrily, "How dare you disrespect our lord? Are you looking for death?"
Now it was Xu You's turn to have a buzzing in his ears. Cao Cao stopped Xu Chu and Dian Wei, and then said to Xu You: "Ziyuan, what you said makes sense. Let me consider it. You got caught in the rain, so go down and change your clothes first."
The moment Xu You bowed and walked out of the tent, cold sweat immediately flowed down his face. The breeze after the rain was not as cold as the sweat, but his whole body was covered in mud and water, so nothing could be seen.
In the camp.
Cao Cao stared at Xu You who was leaving. Guo Jia's lazy figure appeared. Looking at Xu You who was leaving, he said in a gloomy voice: "My lord, Xu You has some truth in what he said, but he was too impatient. He couldn't hide his evil intentions and his intentions were exposed too obviously."
Cao Cao heard what Guo Jia said and said softly, "I know.
Xu You wanted to give Yuan Shao a chance to catch his breath. How could he give a man like Yuan Shao a chance?
Everyone in Hebei can live, except Yuan Shao. "
For Cao Cao, the pressure from Yuan Shao was unprecedentedly great.
Yuan Shao had once been in a more critical situation than the one he was in now, but in the end he was able to turn the tables due to his opponents' carelessness.
According to common sense, by this stage, Cao Cao would have already started to become arrogant.
But Yuan Shao's comebacks were so many that no one could ignore them, and they would even be remembered clearly.
Cao Cao absolutely did not want to become the background for Yuan Shao to defeat the strong again, so he still dealt with Yuan Shao with all his strength.
Turning the tide against the odds, this is what Yuan Shao is best at!
Yuan Shao once prospered because of this, but now he has fallen into defeat because of this.
Cao Cao's words were light, but they carried great weight. He continued slowly, "What I am most curious about now is, what did Yuan Shao do to make Xu You work so hard for him?
Xu You, ah Xu You, you have failed me."
When Dian Wei and Xu Chu heard the last sentence, they looked at each other and saw what was in each other's eyes.
Xu You had just finished bathing when he saw Guo Jia and Xu Chu walk in. He was startled and asked calmly, "Military Advisor Guo, General Xu, why are you here to see you?"
Guo Jia did not beat around the bush and directly had a cup of poisoned wine brought over. He then said, "Xu Ziyuan, what are you thinking about when you came to our army? I don't think I need to say more, right?"
Xu You was shocked and asked with a forced smile, "You doesn't understand what Advisor Guo is saying."
Guo Jia said coldly: "You and the lord are old acquaintances. If the lord is unwilling to take action against you, then we will do the job.
Drink it and it will give you a decent look.
otherwise……"
As he spoke, Xu Chu had already grasped the hilt of the sword, as if to say that if Xu You didn't want to be decent, he would help Xu You to be decent.
Xu You knew that he had no chance of survival after hearing this, but he would never admit that he had come here in a false surrender. He said in a slightly hoarse voice: "What I said to the Prime Minister is true. Staying in Zhao will benefit me. Even if I die, I will still say so."
After saying that, he raised his glass and drank it in one gulp. He stared at Guo Jia and said, "The Prime Minister will definitely listen to my advice!"
An extreme cramp rose from his abdomen, and he hunched over on the ground like a shrimp, gasping for breath, and the sweat soaked his clothes again almost instantly.
Guo Jia looked at Xu You and said slowly: "The Prime Minister will listen to your advice, but after Yuan Shao's death, your lord, there are not many people who want him to live."
Xu You's eyes suddenly lit up. He was a little anxious and wanted to say something, but he couldn't.
Not long after, he died.
…
The rain has stopped.
Although the road was muddy, it could not stop the war from continuing, and the scouts rode along the avenue.
In Yuan Shao's camp.
The news of Xu You's death in Cao's camp had already spread, and everyone was silent. Even Yuan Shao did not expect that Cao Cao would kill Xu You directly.
"Ziyuan, ah Ziyuan."
Killing Xu You proved that Cao Cao was truly immune to all poisons and any means against him had become ineffective.
What can we do now?
The current situation is even more difficult than when King Xiang was in Xiangying. Even a military leader as outstanding as King Xiang was helplessly defeated. What can they do?
The only thing left was to contact the princes, and everyone except Liu Bei was a potential contact.
Then we just have to wait for the northern army to return.
A good cook cannot cook without rice.
There is nothing we can do!
As everyone was thinking about this, a horseman came from the north, all wet, and rushed straight into the camp. He knelt on one knee and said, "Your Majesty, there is a letter from the Grand Commander of Qingzhou."
Everyone's face was filled with anticipation.
"Did Master Yan send a letter?"
"The Grand Commander sent a letter. Could it be that the Yan army has been repelled?"
Yuan Shao, who had been feeling a little weak, immediately perked up. He quickly took the letter, unfolded it, frowned and was delighted at the same time. He looked at the ministers of Zhao State and felt worried, wondering what was written in the letter.
After Yuan Shao finished reading the letter, he handed it to Ju Su, who read it out loud. In the letter, Luo Yan introduced the situation in Jizhou.
Faced with the choice made by Luo Yan, everyone knew that this was the best outcome and they could not ask for more.
But it is still a bit regrettable that we failed to repel the Yan army, which is ultimately a major hidden danger.
Yuan Shao took a deep breath and said, "What the prince consort has done is already very good. At least on the front battlefield, our army can compete with the princes of the Han Dynasty. As long as we can persuade one or two princes to rebel, we can keep the border by the river.
Immediately inform all soldiers that our reinforcements from Hebei will arrive soon, and we just need to hold on for a while longer!"
hope.
Luo Yan's return brought hope to everyone, something more precious than gold.
The Zhao army's low morale gradually recovered after hearing the news. Faced with the impending reinforcements, the Zhao army chose to stay in camp and wait for the Luoyan army to arrive before launching a counterattack.
But as the saying goes, good fortune never comes alone, and misfortune never comes singly.
Because of the pressure and depression in his heart, coupled with the cold he caught, Yuan Shao fell ill.
After the spread of Treatise on Febrile Diseases and Miscellaneous Disorders, it stands to reason that this disease can be cured with a certain degree of certainty as long as there is medicine.
But Yuan Shao was too worried, and his psychological problems affected his body, which resulted in him taking a long time to recover.
After being treated by a doctor, Yuan Shao's condition not only did not improve, but worsened.
This made the Zhao officials panic. If something unexpected happened to Yuan Shao, the consequences would be unimaginable.
But the development of things cannot be changed by human will.
Yuan Shao's condition continued to worsen.
Until he suddenly fell into a coma for an hour, all the officials of Zhao State were completely panicked. Ju Su's first reaction was to block the news and never let it out.
Wait until Yuan Shao wakes up.
Ju Su immediately asked in a hurry: "Your Majesty, are you okay?"
After Yuan Shao coughed twice, he said with some emotion: "Gong Yu, you are my friend.
I, Yuan Shao, have experienced countless setbacks in my life, but I have always been able to turn defeat into victory.
Since the two of you welcomed me into Jizhou, over the past decade or so, we have fought battles in the south and the north and laid this huge foundation.
Since Cao Cao and Liu Bei conquered our Zhao State, although they were powerful, I never thought that I would lose. I thought this was just another victory.
But now it seems.
It was my fault.
God will not always love a person. I have turned defeat into victory countless times, but this time it won’t work. My luck has come to an end.”
When Ju Su and others heard Yuan Shao's words, they all tried to comfort him anxiously.
Yuan Shao raised his hand to stop everyone from talking, then said with a smile: "Life and death are determined by fate, wealth and honor are determined by heaven, how can people go against the will of heaven?
I know my body very well. Instead of saying those auspicious words, it is better to make arrangements for my funeral. I cannot let this foundation fall into ruin without any explanation.
Ziyan hasn't come back yet?"
Xun Chen said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the army is moving slowly and the Grand Commander has not arrived yet."
Yuan Shao sighed and said, "When Zi Yan comes back, ask him to come see me immediately. I have something to tell him."
After saying this, Yuan Shao looked at everyone and said, "I have been thinking about who will inherit my position.
I know that many people hope that I can establish the eldest son as the heir. Besides, with Lu Fengxian around, choosing Tan'er is the best choice.
The reason I hesitated before was because I felt that Tan'er did not have the ability to become a monarch, but now it seems that his two younger brothers are not much different from him.
If I die, let Tan'er inherit my position."
Everyone in the camp breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this. The first thing Yuan Shao did was to confirm the right of succession, which made everyone feel relieved, as this was the most critical issue in power succession.
After Yuan Shao finished speaking, he looked at everyone in the tent and felt a pain in his heart. It was a pity that Yan Liang and Wen Chou were both dead, otherwise these two would have been among his most trusted candidates for the care of his son.
"In the future, you will assist Tan'er, with Ziyan as the leader, and Gongyu, Youruo, Zhengnan, and Zhengze as assistants. The future of Zhao will be handed over to you guys."
This arrangement of entrusting the orphan to the care of the young prince was very normal. The Yuan family had no available royal family members, Luo Yan was a foreign relative, and then they were paired with Ju Shou and Shen Pei, two leaders of the Hebei gentry, and Xun Chen, a leader of the outside gentry, and finally Qu Yi, the current number one general in Hebei, who represented the military.
It can be said that all aspects have been taken into consideration, and no one, led by Luo Yan, has any objection.
This has always been one of Luo Yan's jobs, to reconcile the conflicts between these factions.
Although Ju Su and his companions were heartbroken, they knew that this was not the time to act hypocritically, so they all bowed and accepted the order.
After several people stood up, Yuan Shao suddenly said: "Everyone, this is a world of great contention.
If you don’t advance, you will perish.
If, I say if.
If Tan'er is not capable of assisting, I hope you can find a way out for the Yuan family. I don't want to become a lonely ghost after a hundred years without even a stick of incense."
The meaning of Yuan Shao's words is very worthy of further study, but he did not say it all.
But just a few words made the atmosphere in the camp even more depressing. This is the current Zhao army.
Ju Su and others are all very wise, but now they can only watch the State of Zhao decline step by step.
Yuan Shao looked at Tian Feng and the others and said softly, "Yuan Hao, go and see when Zi Yan will return. When he comes back, immediately welcome him to the tent."
At this time, Yuan Shao was still most concerned about Luo Yan, the son of the Luo family in whom he had the highest hopes.
Tian Feng took the order and walked out of the tent, sending more scouts to investigate Luo Yan's movements.
The distance from Yecheng to Guandu is not really short, but because Yuan Shao's army has retreated to Hebei, the distance is not that far.
On the way to Yuan Shao’s army’s camp, Luo Yan led the army.
He was extremely anxious, but he really didn't dare to move too fast.
Because he was worried that the soldiers would lose their fighting capacity due to their haste, that the loss of horsepower would be too great, and that they would encounter the enemy halfway and would not be able to quickly engage in battle.
In this torture, after a long journey, he finally saw the camp of Yuan Shao’s army in the distance.
Zhang He and Tian Feng were already waiting by the roadside. When they saw Luo Yan, they immediately shouted, "General, come quickly! The king is seriously ill!"
The king is seriously ill?!
Luo Yan was struck by lightning when she heard this. She couldn't believe that she received such news just after arriving.
All of a sudden, all the things that had happened in the past countless years impacted his mind, making his brain dizzy and he even followed Zhang He and Tian Feng towards the camp unconsciously.
The three of them walked quickly outside the tent, and suddenly they heard a burst of crying.
As if struck by lightning, Luo Yan immediately opened the curtain of the tent and rushed in. She saw Yuan Shao's face as pale as a piece of paper, looking at her.
Yuan Shao was too weak to speak, but from his lips, Luo Yan could tell that Yuan Shao said, "Zi Yan is back."
Luo Yan took two steps forward at a time, and then watched Yuan Shao's arm drop down right in front of him.
Yuan Shao died!
boom!
The heavy rain has obviously ended and the sky is now clear.
But suddenly, a loud thunder sounded out of nowhere, and dark clouds gradually gathered, and a strong wind began to howl.
It feels like a storm is about to come.
There was that feeling of boundless desolation and loneliness under the rustling rain.
"Your Majesty!"
Luo Yan ran to the edge of the bed and held Yuan Shao's still slightly warm hand.
How could this happen?
————
Yuan Shao was a wise and powerful ruler, a man of extraordinary talent. He first served Emperor Ling and obeyed his orders to serve the king, and later served Emperor Min and assisted him in Luoyang.
When Emperor Min died, Zhuo killed Emperor Min and enthroned Emperor Sheng. Shao was tired of Emperor Sheng's corruption and refused to kneel. He raised the Han army in Jizhou, and the scholars and people all submitted to him, and Hebei prospered.
Gongsun was treacherous and allowed Yan to annex Han. Yuan Shao was unable to defend the State, and the Yan ruler forced Shao to proclaim himself king. Shao lost the support of the world, and the other princes used this as an excuse to attack him. It was beyond human power that his fortune had come to this.
Among the heroes at the end of the Han Dynasty, Shao was kind and tolerant to his subordinates, like Liu Bei, so the people of Hebei obeyed him; he was fierce and capable, like Cao Cao, so he was able to win every time he encountered danger, and died at Guandu, and although he was defeated, he was still glorious. He was truly a hero of the time! - "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Biographies of Yuan Shao and Lü Bu"
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