Chapter 746 The dead and the living!
Yuan Tan is recognized as an honest man.
Ever since Yuan Shao married him to Lü Qiling, he has been the heir to Hebei, but his presence in the Hebei political power has always been low. He is not even as strong as Yuan Shang, who has been jumping around all the time. He is only slightly stronger than Yuan Xi.
Among the ministers, in terms of power, he was not even in the top ten.
Luo Yan, Ju Shou, Xun Chen, Shen Pei, Tian Feng, Qu Yi and the Four Pillars of the Court are all ranked ahead of him. At most, he is at the same level as Guo Tu.
But when an honest person gets angry, it is quite scary!
In the palace of King Zhao.
Yuan Tan gasped for air, his face flushed red, staring fiercely at Yuan Shang's body on the ground, his head rolling on the ground, his eyes wide open. He held Tian Feng's head in his arms and closed his eyes, "Tian Qing, you can close your eyes now!"
As if he felt that his great revenge had been taken, the ferocious expression on Tian Feng's face became calm.
Yuan Tan's hands were covered with blood from Tian Feng's head, and he had a happy smile on his face. He raised his head and laughed loudly, and there was even some evil in his voice, "So this is the feeling of breaking through a taboo?"
Killing his own brother was something Yuan Tan had never thought of.
Any animal that eats humans will be killed without hesitation.
Humans are animals too.
Change happens in just a moment!
The broken jar is the norm in life.
Yuan Tan was caught in this moral situation at the moment. A red light seemed to flash in his eyes, and he stared at Liu fiercely.
This shocked everyone in the hall.
What does Yuan Tan want to do?
Killing your brother is killing!
Killing one's father and mother is murder!
In order to avoid being recorded in history books as having committed matricide, the people in the palace decisively abandoned Yuan Shang and Queen Mother Wang. Is Yuan Tan going to commit matricide now?
If he really dared to do this, he would be condemned by everyone.
The Queen Mother was at fault and wanted to dethrone him.
But in the eyes of people of that era, deposing the king might not be as serious a mistake as humiliating Yuan Tan.
If Queen Mother Wang treated Yuan Tan like a pig or a dog, or even wanted to kill him, then Yuan Tan would have legal means to fight back.
The deprivation of power, status and wealth has never been a hatred that is widely recognized.
A man stumbled into the hall, and when everyone looked up, they found that it was Yuan Shao's second son, Yuan Xi.
Yuan Xi rushed into the hall and saw his own brother lying in a pool of blood. His face suddenly changed. He and his brother had always had a bad relationship. After all, the Queen Mother favored Yuan Shang more, and was very good to Zhen Mi, her adopted daughter with the fate of a phoenix.
However, Liu was still very good to him, after all, he was her own son.
Yuan Xi came forward under the gaze of the crowd, then knelt directly in front of Yuan Tan and cried, "My king, brother, please stop. The crime of matricide should not be borne by Yuan.
We are a family with three dukes for four generations and a king for one generation!
If you are a matricide king.
Who are Luo Ziyan, Ju Gongyu, Xun Youruo, Shen Zhengnan, Qu Zhengze who are loyal to you, and Tian Yuanhao who just died for you?
Are they ministers who aid and abet the tyrant?
You are going to leave a few lines of your name in the history books, will you end up with the word "murder"?
You must know that even the tyrant Qin Shihuang did not kill Zhao Ji even though she did such a shameful thing.
Brother.
Brother! "
Yuan Xi burst into tears and turned to Liu, saying, "Mother, my elder brother is the eldest of the Yuan family, and the throne should belong to him. Now that my third brother is dead and Zhao is about to fall, why can't you let go of these empty titles?
Why can't you just talk to your brother about something? Why do you have to do something that will be laughed at by history?"
The murderous intent in Yuan Tan's eyes gradually faded, and his senses returned to his mind again.
Among the three brothers, Yuan Xi was always the one who did not argue or fight. The throne was only fought over between Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, and he himself did not care about it.
Therefore, Yuan Tan still has a good impression of Yuan Xi.
Another group of people walked in from outside the hall, and dozens of strong women like iron towers appeared in front of the door. When everyone saw these women, they knew that Princess Wuji Zhen Mi had arrived.
Zhen Mi hurried into the palace. She was not wearing palace clothes, but a rather smart outfit that still showed off her graceful curves.
She rushed to the palace as soon as she got the news. When she entered the palace, she saw that only Yuan Shang was dead and Liu was safe. She was relieved and went to see Yuan Tan first, then looked at Liu angrily and said, "Mother, how could you do such a thing?
The coup d'état had put the State of Zhao in such a predicament that the Yuan family was already in imminent danger, yet they were actually killing each other.
Even if Yuan Shang seized the throne, wouldn't this be a good excuse for Cao Wei?
Would the people of the world blame Cao Cao for killing a man who usurped his brother's throne?
I'm afraid they will applaud and cheer for this!
When the king died, Yuan Shang also died, and the Yuan family lost its reputation. Could the second brother still stay out of it?
Is this something you wanted to see?
You are not a stupid person, why would you do such a thing?
My daughter is unimaginable.”
Zhen Mi's words completely broke Liu's psychological bottom line. She murmured, "That's not what they said before."
Zhen Mi raised her eyebrows when she heard this. From Liu's words, she realized that there must be someone instigating this matter behind the scenes, and it might even be one of Cao Cao's strategists.
Yuan Tan looked at the frightened Liu, but the bad feeling in his heart could not be eliminated. However, facing the pleas of Yuan Xi and Zhen Mi, he snorted coldly and said, "Now that Yuan Shang is dead, although the Queen Mother was unkind to me, I cannot be unjust. The ancestral laws are above all else, and this is my duty as a son.
The State of Zhao was not far from decline, and it was hard to say what the outcome would be after its surrender.
Perhaps I will die at the hands of Cao Wei, or perhaps you and I, mother and son, and others will meet in the underworld.
I don't want to have any more disputes with you."
As Yuan Tan spoke, his words were already filled with desolation. He waved his hand casually, and said with a hunched back, "Surrender, surrender."
…
Luo Yan and Xun Chen received the details of the Handan Incident and the royal decree from Yuan Tan asking them to surrender.
We are ready to fight to the death.
Why did the king surrender first?
Xun Chen stroked the letter and said absentmindedly, "It is understandable that Your Majesty surrenders, but it is unwise to let your life and death be controlled by others.
If you surrender to Liu Bei, I won't say much.
Liu Bei had a reputation for being kind and righteous, and he was a trustworthy person. If Liu Bei promised not to kill him, then his life would naturally be saved.
But although Cao Cao had the ambition to conquer the universe and had a broad mind, he was also suspicious and unforgiving, and would do anything to achieve his goals.
It is hard to predict whether it will be a blessing or a curse if you join his army."
Because of Xun Yu, it was difficult for Xun Chen to have a good impression of Cao Cao.
Qu Yi opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but no words came out. His face turned red and he felt endless annoyance in his heart. Finally, he looked at Luo Yan.
Luo Yan felt that she had never had to make such a difficult decision in her life.
Is this the back-up plan that Cao Ang mentioned?
It’s really cruel.
Luo Zi will not surrender, but there is no need for him to surrender. When his loyal lord surrenders, what should you do?
Luo Yan spoke with difficulty: "If I don't obey the king's order, it will be useless for the king to surrender. If you and I die here, the Yuan family will be destroyed."
Xun Chen suddenly realized that the only value of the Yuan family to Cao Cao was to win the hearts of the people in Hebei. But after winning the hearts of the people in Hebei, he could create an accident to kill Yuan Tan.
Because in essence, both Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi were of no value to Cao Cao.
The truly valuable ones are the counselors and generals such as Luo Yan, Xun Chen and Qu Yi.
Now that Xun Yu is dead, Xun Chen thinks to himself that if he dies too, Xun You will definitely not show mercy to the Yuan family. In other words, only if the two of them are alive can Yuan Tan live and Yuan Shao's descendants can remain in this world.
Thinking of this, Xun Chen's face turned paler and paler, and he was ready to die.
Ju Shou, Shen Pei and Tian Feng were all scholars from Hebei. They all died for their country, leaving only him, a member of the Xun family. Doesn't this show that the Yingchuan gentry are not as loyal as the Hebei gentry?
He looked up at Luo Yan and saw that Luo Yan's face was also pale and a little tired. At this moment, he knew Luo Yan's choice.
As expected, Luo Yan's face became more and more stern, but her voice trembled slightly: "It's easy to die, but it's hard to live.
Who will offer sacrifices to the former kings?
Who will inherit the bloodline of the previous king?
Who will publicize the names of the Hebei heroes?
Who will inherit their spirit of loyalty?
Gongyu, Zhengnan, Yuanhao, Yan Liang and Wen Chou, as I remember, all still had young sons. In such a world, what would be their future?
Carrying the identity of the remnant of Zhao State, the road in this world is full of thorns and difficulties.
I hope that thousands of years later, there will still be people in Hebei who can remember the ancestors and the heroic and tragic people of Hebei, and their descendants will pass on the legacy.”
Xun Chen understood what Luo Yan wanted to say.
The dead are dead.
The living must carry the responsibility of those people. In this world, there is a sentence that can make people burst into tears, that is, "I will take care of your wife and children!"
This is the highest level of commitment and trust.
This is a trust of your life and property!
Now Luo Yan wants to take care of everyone's descendants and allow them to continue.
Luo Yan could have died for his country and continued his noble reputation, or he could have returned to Zhaocheng and gotten away from the world, but in the end he chose this most difficult path.
There was a grand road in front of him, but he refused to take it and insisted on walking on the single-plank bridge.
Xun Chen couldn't help but ask, "Sir, aren't you afraid of those rumors?"
Luo Yan said indifferently: "I serve my master with loyalty and diligence, so why should I be criticized? Besides, the prejudice of the world has nothing to do with me. There are so many rats in this world who slander the Luo family.
They can never be killed or destroyed.
But in the end, it is still the Luo family that stands tall in the world, while the names of those people have been unknown.
This is what is meant by, your body and name will be destroyed, but the rivers and streams will flow forever!"
For shameless people, staying alive is extremely important, and they can be shameless in order to survive.
To an idealist, living is a mere detail.
Luo Yan lives not for herself, but for others.
Hypocritical people will think he is hypocritical, and sincere people will feel his sincerity.
Xun Chen bowed deeply and said, "Sir, I understand."
Luo Yan said softly with his hands behind his back: "Youruo, we must guard Hebei carefully. Soldiers are the courage of the generals. Only if we are valuable to Cao Wei, will the king be valuable to Cao Cao."
Zhang He touched his broken arm and burst into tears, "Of the four pillars of Hebei, I am the only one left alive. Why do you want me now, why do you want me?"
Hearing this, Luo Yan sighed and said, "Yes, human beings are the most intelligent creatures in the world, but they have no control over everything!
Is there anyone in this world who can live completely according to his own will?
Our Luo family has been passed down for 1,300 years, and only the Supreme Emperor Su Wang can do whatever he wants. The rest of the heads of the families, Duke Wen, Duke Xuan, Duke Ming, Duke Yi, Duke Wu, King Zhaosheng, and King Luo Wen, these prestigious family heads, are all helpless.
Among all those famous kings in history, who could be free?
He was constantly pushed forward by the people, officials, and dignitaries of the world to forgive those whom he was unwilling to forgive, to restrain his murderous intent, to restrain his preferences, and to restrain all his emotions and desires in his heart.
Only through hardship and adversity can one achieve success.
The Emperor Su Wang once said that the most difficult thing for people is to follow their own wishes, which is really a good saying. "
Luo Yan's comfort was very effective. People's happiness is achieved through comparison, and people's happiness is always built on the pain of others.
Zhang He just felt extremely uncomfortable, but when he thought about how countless people greater than him had suffered such a miserable fate, he felt that the situation he was facing seemed acceptable.
As for Xun Chen, he naturally didn't need Luo Yan's comfort, he was able to adjust himself.
Luo Yan turned around and asked softly, "Youruo, are you willing to re-establish the Xun family in Hebei?"
Split up!
Luo Yan wanted to completely transform Xun Chen from a Yingchuan gentry into a Hebei gentry!
Xun Chen twitched his lips. This sudden question caught him off guard.
Luo Yan said with a gleaming look in her eyes: "Many hands make light work. Now that Cao Cao has entered Jizhou, he must employ people from Hebei. If the former Zhao officials do not help each other, they will only be looked down upon."
Xun Chen understood the intention of Luo Yan immediately. He realized that what Luo Yan wanted to do was to unite the Hebei gentry and form a powerful alliance to survive the impending crisis.
There are many such families in the Han Dynasty.
For example, the most famous Yingchuan families, the six surnames of Wujun, and the most famous five surnames and seven families, were all alliances of aristocratic families.
Hebei is a very special land, there is no such alliance.
Luo Yan wants to establish such an alliance in Hebei.
This is not something that can be achieved overnight, because such an alliance requires a large number of marriages between the two parties.
Luo Yan's eyes sparkled. Xun Chen pondered for a moment and finally nodded.
It is difficult for the State of Zhao to continue, so we should plan for the future!
————
The emperor attacked the Pseudo-Zhao and fought five battles, winning three and drawing two. The Pseudo-Zhao was weak and a rift arose in the court. Yuan Tan asked for surrender, but the emperor pardoned him because of his virtue and favored people. He moved the Queen Mother of the Pseudo-Zhao, Liu, Tan, and Xi to Xuchang. The emperor took over southern and central Hebei, and his prestige was so great that it shook the world. - "Book of Wei: Chronicle of Emperor Wu"
(End of this chapter)
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