Chapter 186 The situation in all four directions...
With the speed at which Qiao Yan obtained information, he could have made a judgment a little earlier, but Yuan Shao received these two messages unexpectedly.
No, it should be said that there are four messages.
Two battle reports, plus two memorials requesting the appointment of provincial governors.
Yuan Shao was so angry that he almost laughed.
At most, these two memorials were remembered, because Liu Bian was in Jizhou and was able to sit on the throne with the protection of Qingzhou Mu, who was in charge of Qing and Ji provinces. Therefore, in addition to the memorials directly presented to the emperor, they also sent an extra letter to Yuan Shao to inform him of the talks.
Cao Cao even sent his subordinate Chen Gong to try to persuade him to agree to this decision.
But this didn't seem to comfort Yuan Shao much.
Especially, what is going on with Yuan Shu?
"I had advised him when he was leading the expedition to Yangzhou as the General of Chariots and Cavalry. The governor of Lujiang had not made his position public. He went to attack Yangzhou just like a gangster. Apart from giving others something to talk about, how could he get any benefit?"
It was really hard for Yuan Shao not to be sarcastic about Yuan Shu's current situation. He added: "It would be fine if he could win, but he was beaten by a 17-year-old boy and fled away. How long has Jiujiang County been under his control? He actually opened the city and surrendered when he heard that Lu Kang and Zhou Yu were marching."
This is such a huge joke!
Yuan Shao did allow grain prices around Yecheng to get out of control for a time, but after he successively recruited Hebei gentry and relied on the plans of Ju Shou, Tian Feng, Shen Pei, Xu You and others to first suppress bandits and then stabilize people's livelihood, the situation in Qing and Ji states had completely stabilized in the early spring of this year.
The only failure was that when they were encircling and suppressing the villain Guan Hai, he actually allowed him to kidnap Zheng Xuan.
But when he thought that this move was most likely instructed by Qiao Yan, he was too lazy to even curse.
In short, in a broad comparison, Yuan Shao's situation was much more successful than Yuan Shu's.
Not to mention, he has an emperor in his hands.
Because of this status in public opinion, at least there would not be a situation like Yuan Shu's escape.
But Yuan Shao felt that he was still inferior to Yuan Shu in one respect.
He is not as thick-skinned as the other!
In this situation where he was defeated and retreated from Yangzhou and Jiujiang to Runan, Yuan Shu was still able to seek the position of Yuzhou Governor in Yecheng. He was considered a talented person!
"He has a nice idea. If so, he can say that he left Yangzhou in order to take up the position of Yuzhou Mu. At least it would look better than running away from a few youngsters."
This is something that the fierce bandit Yuan Changshui on the road would do.
Yuan Shao looked at the memorial in front of him and for no reason thought of the memorial on feudalism written by Qiao Yan in those days.
One of the sayings is "If there is division, there will be no ruler's heart."
It is hard to say whether Yuan Shao, who supported the emperor and sat in the north and held two states, had any other thoughts. Since Qiao Yan has taken control of Bingzhou and Liangzhou, at least he is doing so under the pretext of rescuing the emperor. It is hard to say whether he has any other ideas.
However, Yuan Shu's action completely showed that he did not regard the emperor of Yecheng as someone who should be respected.
In Yuan Shu's opinion, Liu Bian was able to ascend to the throne because he made such a call at the critical moment. It had nothing to do with Liu Bian's own ability, the efforts of the court officials gathered in Yecheng, or Yuan Shao's actions to quell rebellions and suppress bandits.
He is the only one who deserves the credit.
So whether he wanted to be the General of Chariots and Cavalry or the Governor of Yuzhou, it was just a matter of words.
"This position cannot be given to him!" Xu You replied immediately after hearing Yuan Shao calling him over and telling him the situation in the letter.
There are some things that people like Ju Shou and Shen Pei, who later surrendered to Yuan Shao, cannot say casually, especially when it comes to internal conflicts within the Yuan family of Runan.
But Xu You can.
He has known Yuan Shao for so many years and knows more inside information.
However, when explaining the reason, he did not say that the Yuan brothers were gaining or losing, but said: "If the position of Yuzhou Governor is given without authorization, regardless of what happens in the north, the south will definitely think that the prestige of the emperor of Yecheng is nothing but that he can be taken away by a defeated general like Yuan Gonglu."
Xu You said in a serious tone: "Your Excellency is serving the Emperor to punish the rebellious people. If the Emperor loses face, what is the point of the conquest?"
He was absolutely right in saying this.
To put it simply, this is actually the reason that Xun You explained to Qiao Yan.
It is not appropriate for Yuan Shao to play with Yuan Shu at this time, which will affect the value of the "righteousness" in his hands.
Even if we ask Ju Shou, Shen Pei and others about this question, we will get the same result.
Yuan Shao really didn't have to worry that this refusal would be met with retaliation from Yuan Shu.
Yuan Shu was no match for Sun Ce or Tao Qian, and in the north he was also no match for Cao Cao who was rising in Yanzhou.
What kind of trouble could he stir up when he had just led his troops to a defeat?
At most, he would just stay in Runan and curse people.
Xu You continued, "It is easy for you to reject Yuan Gonglu's request for a title. Just say that Runan is the base of the Yuan family. According to the principle of the Three Mutuals Law, he cannot serve as the governor of Yuzhou."
He thought for a moment and added, "This can also be used to restrict a person's advance."
Yuan Shao asked, "Are you talking about Sun Ce?"
Sun Ce could not control Wu County, or in other words, Sun Ce could not become the governor of Yangzhou, which was also in accordance with the laws of the Han Dynasty.
Although such rules no longer need to be followed in remote areas these days, there is still nothing wrong with using them as an official reason.
In fact, Yuan Shao also had to pay attention to Sun Ce, the young tiger.
The death of Sun Jian not only did not cause the collapse of the Sun family's foundation, but made them more determined to go all out.
The fact that Sun Ce was not bound by Sun Jian's allies gave him the confidence to expand his territory.
He can face Yuan Shu without any scruples today, and face Tao Qian tomorrow, and then Yuan Shao.
After using Liu Yu to restrict Qiao Yan's advance, Yuan Shao realized one thing. Compared to Qiao Yan, who was relatively playing within the rules, warriors like Dong Zhuo and Sun Ce were the most troublesome!
Of course, I don't mean to compare Sun Ce and Dong Zhuo.
What's more, there is not much historical evidence to prove that it is really difficult to fight from the south to the north.
What Yuan Shao and others saw was that when the coalition forces gathered to fight Dong Zhong, Sun Jian attacked from the south and entered Luoyang city at a speed second only to Qiao Yan.
So...what about Sun Ce?
It would be better for him to be wary of Sun Ce.
Since this guy had already been courted by Qiao Yan, Yuan Shao could only show him limited favor.
Giving him a high position might just bring him trouble.
The South happens to be an area that is out of reach for most people.
Therefore, instead of looking for an ally in the south that may not be reliable, it is better for him to maintain his current position as the prefect of Kuaiji and to tie up the clan bandits and aristocratic families in the south. Maybe he can cause chaos among the people first.
Yuan Shao waved his hand, indicating that he knew how to deal with Yuan Shu and Sun Ce, and then asked: "What about Cao A Man's position as the governor of Yanzhou?"
Chen Gong's arrival as Cao Cao's envoy was undoubtedly a particularly clever move by Cao Cao.
Chen Gongtai was from Dongwuyang, Dongjun, Yanzhou.
He came from a prominent family and at a young age he made friends with famous people at home and abroad.
Therefore, the significance of his arrival was not to apologize to Cao Cao for his rash march into Jiyin and Dongping, or to communicate with Yuan Shao first.
Rather, it means that, on the surface, Cao Cao only occupied the East County, and now he has two more counties, but he has already gained the recognition of the Yanzhou family through his own abilities.
With the guarantee of this level of support, Cao Cao's expansion in Yanzhou would not be too difficult even without the assistance of his capable and battle-hardened generals.
This is a game of rules.
Under such circumstances, Yuan Shao might as well go with the flow and do as Chenliu Prefect Zhang Miao said in his memorial and appoint Cao Cao as the Governor of Yanzhou because of his ability to protect the territory and the people.
Yuan Shao felt extremely uncomfortable as he was threatened with a soft knife on his neck.
But both his reason and Xu You who was standing in front of him told him that this position must be given to Cao Cao.
Since it did not involve any internal issues of the Yuan family, Yuan Shao also threw this issue to his other advisers.
During the Battle of Guandu in history, the advisers under him had different opinions on how to deal with Cao Cao, including long-term and short-term operations. But now, after considering the current situation in various places, these people all think that Cao Cao can be temporarily brought in as external aid and granted him the position of Yanzhou Mu.
Yanzhou is located to the north of Yuzhou, which means that an alliance with Cao Cao can allow him to serve as a barrier against enemies to the south.
In addition, Zhang Miao and Liu Bei in Yanzhou were not easy to deal with.
Even though Cao Cao has been recommended by the former and has a good relationship with the latter, there are still many hidden dangers if you really think about it.
What forced Yuan Shao to make this decision was another piece of news that soon reached Yecheng.
Previously, Liu Yu went to Liangzhou to supervise Qiao Yan in handling the situation in Liangzhou, and his son Liu He temporarily took over the position of Mu of Youzhou.
Logically speaking, with the assistance of many officials left behind by Liu Yu, no major changes should have occurred.
Liu He's methods were far inferior to Liu Yu's, which also gave Yuan Shao the opportunity to quietly infiltrate his forces.
But they still forgot one person - Gongsun Zan.
As early as in the process of suppressing the Yuyang Rebellion, the number of troops under Gongsun Zan had increased rapidly due to the prolonged fighting time.
In the past two years, when Yuan Shao was suppressing the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou, in addition to allowing some of them to flow south to Xuzhou, he also allowed a considerable number of them to flow north to Bohai Sea along with the refugees. These people were either killed by Gongsun Zan or became his followers.
As his power expanded, Gongsun Zan's ambition was further expanded.
He was not at all willing to be merely given the title of General Fenwu, nor was he willing to be merely the governor of Liaodong, which was conferred upon him by Liu Bian after he established his capital in Yecheng.
He had long been resentful of Liu Yu's policy of appeasement and was waiting for an opportunity to vent his anger.
With this mentality, although Gongsun Zan did not rebel like Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun and proclaimed himself the Son of Heaven, he came up with the idea of seizing Youzhou after Liu Yu rushed to Liangzhou.
The attacks in various places in Jingzhou and Yangzhou provided Gongsun Zan with reference targets.
After the spring plowing season, it was time for Sun Ce, Yuan Shu and Cao Cao to mobilize their troops one after another. This also made Gongsun Zan resolutely choose to launch the battle of Youzhou, heading straight for Ji County, the capital of Youzhou!
Gongsun Zan's hasty attack was a heavy blow to a mediocre person like Liu He, who already had a hard time managing people's livelihood affairs.
If it were not for Tian Chou's help and the foundation and reputation left by Liu Yu in Youzhou, Liu He might not have been able to retreat smoothly to Shanggu County and take refuge outside Juyongguan, but would have directly become a prisoner of Gongsun Zan.
In this sudden change, among the eleven counties and kingdoms of Youzhou, Gongsun Zan seemed to have only taken six along the route, but between him and Jizhou, there was only one Zhuo County blocking him!
Yuan Shao was shocked and angry.
At this moment, he was too lazy to worry about whether it was inappropriate to give Cao Cao the position of Governor of Yanzhou.
The right way is to form an alliance with Cao Cao, let Cao Cao guard the south for him, and solve the problem in the north by himself.
This was a godsend for Cao Cao.
According to the news that reached Liang Province in the third year of Guangxi, Liu Bian, the emperor of Yecheng, promoted Cao Cao from the prefect of Dongjun to the governor of Yanzhou, and Tao Qian from the governor of Xuzhou to the governor of Xuzhou on the grounds that Cao Cao and Tao Qian had made contributions in quelling the rebellion.
As for Yuan Shu?
In any case, Yuan Shu was not given the position of Governor of Yuzhou, which he desired most. He was only given the position of Prefect of Jiujiang.
What this means is that Jiujiang County does belong to you, Yuan Shu, so it was indeed wrong for Sun Ce to attack you, but whether he can regain this territory depends on Yuan Shu's own ability.
He can't be unable to even take care of a child, right? That's too bad.
When Yuan Shu received this news, he was extremely angry.
Although this news was delivered at the same time that Yuan Shu's son-in-law Huang Yi was appointed as the governor of Runan and Yuan Si was appointed as the prime minister of Chen, which was equivalent to giving him formal control over half of Yuzhou, his treatment was really not good enough compared with Cao Cao and Tao Qian's legitimate positions as governors.
He slammed the table and stood up: "How dare my slave insult me like this!"
When the guards beside him heard this, they immediately pretended to be deaf.
Yuan Shu dared to call Yuan Shao "my slave", and they did not dare to respond.
Fortunately, Yuan Shu didn't expect any response from them.
Thinking about how Yuan Shao, on the one hand, rejected his request for an imperial title, and on the other hand, granted Cao Cao and Tao Qian the title of governor of California, as if he wanted to draw a clear line between them and guard against each other, Yuan Shu felt that he could not swallow this humiliation no matter what.
He now regretted one thing.
Why did he hand over the emperor to Yuan Shao because of the trouble of distant but stinky people nearby, and put himself in such a passive situation?
For this reason, he severely reprimanded Yan Xiang, his relatively reliable chief clerk, blaming him for making this suggestion at the time. Then he wrote a letter and sent it out without asking for other people's opinions.
This letter is not used to denounce Yuan Shao.
Yuan Shu himself knew that with his limited literary skills, if he really did this, he would probably be scolded back by Yuan Shao's men.
Why do such self-humiliating things?
This letter certainly did not mean an alliance with Liu Biao of Jingzhou, or a temporary truce with Sun Ce.
Yuan Shu simply couldn't bring himself to do that.
This is a letter written to Qiao Yan.
Qiao Yan didn't expect to receive such a sudden letter.
However, when she opened the envelope, she still said to Xun You in a teasing tone: "Does Yuan Gonglu still think that the enemy of my enemy is my friend?"
But when he unfolded the silk and saw the first sentence, even though Qiao Yan already knew how unreliable Yuan Shu was, he never expected that he would write such a sentence -
[Shao is not a son of Yuan.] 】1
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