Chapter 279 Dark...
The confrontation on Hongze Lake did not last long.
When Tao Qian's subordinates discovered that there was something unusual and came to help, and boarded the sinking ship, Tao Qian had already died at the hands of these assassins.
What he guessed before his death was indeed correct.
The arrow shot by Zu Lang was a real poisonous arrow.
Even if he didn't die from the damage to his organs, he would have been killed by this poisonous arrow.
His subordinates arrived not too late, but it still couldn't change the outcome of his death.
What made his subordinates regretful even more was that these assassins seemed to be very familiar with the water conditions in the Hongze Lake area. They quickly got rid of them after landing and escaped without a trace.
At this moment, countless questions flashed through their minds.
Who sent these people?
Who on earth has the courage to assassinate the governor of a state?
Thinking of Tao Qian's purpose of going from Xia Pi to Guangling, these people had a vague guess in their hearts -
Zuo Rong!
Only Zuo Rong needs to stop Tao Qian from going to Guangling, and perhaps even kill him to silence him!
Zuo Rong also met this condition and had the capital to mobilize people to carry out the assassination.
Most of the guards who came with Tao Qian had been following him and working for him since Tao Qian started to serve as the governor of Xuzhou. There is no doubt about their loyalty to Tao Qian.
Because the captain of the guard who was on the same ship with Tao Qian also died, these people quickly selected a person in charge to integrate the team. They decided to use the dead among the assassins as evidence, along with Tao Qian's body, and intended to send it back to Donghai County as quickly as possible.
Tao Qian died, and based on the idea that a scholar should die for his friend, they must avenge Tao Qian.
At the same time, although Tao Qian's two sons had never been involved in officialdom, they could always inherit their father's mantle, so they had to continue to work hard as the successors of Xuzhou Mu.
"Destroy the ship and hide the news." The man said, "We suspect that Zuo Rong killed him in order to stop the Lord's investigation, but we have no evidence to prove that he was the one who did it. However, whoever makes a move first will be the most suspicious person."
But this kind of thing is just a good idea. It is extremely difficult to put it into practice.
As the governor of the state, Tao Qian made inspection tours throughout the state without hiding anything from the people in the state.
He left Xia Pi City and came to Xu County. It was something that everyone saw.
In addition to the disguised fishermen, there were also people who actually fished on Hongze Lake and witnessed the assassination with their own eyes.
Tao Qian did not continue the inspection. Instead, he hurriedly returned to Donghai under the escort of his subordinates. He never showed up again after that and did not even seek medical treatment in Xu County. So, he might not only have been seriously injured in the assassination, but also lost his life.
This kind of statement cannot be easily quelled!
It spread to Xia Pi and Guangling counties in a very short period of time, causing a sensation.
When Chen Gui, who was in Xia Pi, heard the news, he was so shocked that he smashed the cup in his hand on the spot.
"What did you say?" He looked at his subordinate in surprise and suspicion.
Compared with what he had heard before about Zuo Rong performing a miracle in Gaoyou, this made him wonder if there was something wrong with his ears, otherwise why would he have such auditory hallucinations.
How long has it been since Tao Qian left Xia Pi?
He hadn't even arrived in Guangling County yet.
Chen Gui quickly ordered people to chase after Tao Qian's followers who were returning to Donghai County, intending to get a positive response from them.
You know, if Tao Qian really died, the blow to Xuzhou would be absolutely devastating.
The restoration of order in Xuzhou in the past few years was based on the premise that Tao Qian was the governor of Xuzhou.
Even without talking about the mastermind behind the assassination, how Zuo Rong, the first person suspected by Chen Gui, would react, it would not be an easy task for Tao Qian's son to take over Xuzhou.
Tao Qian's death would inevitably make Xuzhou the target of public criticism in an instant.
In his reply to Zu Lang, Zuo Rong could rely on his shallow knowledge and vision to say that none of Xuzhou's neighbors had the capital to make arrangements for Xuzhou for the time being. But in Chen Gui's opinion, the only neighbor who really had no qualifications to take action against Xuzhou was Cao Cao.
It would take quite a long time for him to adjust his relationship with the scholars of Yanzhou, so it was absolutely inappropriate for him to show any interest in Xuzhou at this time.
At the same time, his title of Yanzhou Mu came from the Yecheng court. If he crossed the border into Xuzhou, he would undoubtedly be going against Yuan Shao.
He couldn't do this.
But other people will definitely have ideas.
Therefore, he must determine as soon as possible whether the news of Tao Qian's death is true, and then make an appropriate response plan.
What Chen Gui didn't expect was that his question would cause some trouble.
The guards who escorted Tao Qian's body back immediately regarded his behavior as ill intentions. Not only did they not answer his question, they also detained the people he sent to inquire about the situation.
They hurried into the territory of Donghai County, and then returned to Tan County, the provincial capital, to meet with Tao Qian's two sons, Tao Shang and Tao Ying, and made a suggestion -
Since it was impossible to determine whether Zuo Rong had any connection with the assassins, Chen Gui, as the first person to inquire about Tao Qian's situation, was naturally suspected by them, and they thought he might be related to Tao Qian's death.
So in order to ensure that everything goes well, they thought that they should detain Chen Gui's son Chen Deng first.
"Is this the time for you to randomly suspect the murderer and cause chaos?" Lu Su heard such a ridiculous suggestion as soon as he entered the room, and he rebuked loudly, "Use your brains and think about it. Why does Chen Yuanlong have to attack the Lord? Is it because he was not dedicated enough in his work in Xuzhou, or is it because the Lord treated him harshly by giving him the position of Colonel of Tuntian? None of these! What else is there to say?"
Lu Su's position as chief clerk was considered to be particularly close to Tao Qian.
Since he was employed by Tao Qian, the judgments he made have rarely been wrong.
Therefore, although he was young, these servants did not dare to look down on him.
Hearing his stern question, the leading attendant whispered, "If it is as the chief clerk said, what should we do now?"
Lu Su glanced at the brothers Tao Shang and Tao Ying.
It was inevitable that these two brothers were not previously recognized by Tao Qian as successors.
They seemed to have no idea what the attendant's suspicion of Chen Deng and Lu Su's rebuttal meant in this exchange, and they were still staring at Tao Qian's body in a daze.
The death of Tao Qian might not necessarily mean that Xuzhou lost its pillar, but for them it was like the sky falling.
Because of the poison arrow, Tao Qian's lips were still a bit blue-black, and because of the hot summer weather, the body, which was quickly sent back to Donghai County from Hongze Lake, had already emitted a foul smell.
As soon as Lu Su called out "Young Master", Tao Shang suddenly rushed to the side and retched, looking like he was nauseated after realizing it belatedly. Tao Ying suddenly burst into tears, as if he had finally realized a terrible fact -
He has no father anymore.
In any other environment, Tao Ying's behavior could be praised by Lu Su as filial piety, but when he was not only the son of Tao Qian, but also the son of the Mu of Xuzhou, such behavior was undoubtedly inappropriate.
Looking at Sun Ce's series of reactions after Sun Jian's death at the hands of Liu Biao, as well as his achievements and status today, and then looking at Tao Qian's two sons, one crying and the other vomiting, Lu Su didn't know what to feel.
But it was his own choice to serve under Tao Qian on behalf of a powerful force in Xuzhou, and this was obviously not the time to worry about whether these two people could take on the main responsibility.
Faced with the question of what to do, Lu Su replied: "Immediately bring the deputy driver, the governor, and the captain of agriculture who you suspect here for discussion. Now is not the time to suspect each other. The right thing to do is to unite the whole of Xuzhou."
But how can the people of Xuzhou be united as one?
When Zhao Yu, Wang Lang, Chen Deng, and Chen Gui who came directly from Xia Pi were gathered together, they all came to the unanimous conclusion that Tao Qian's son should take over the position of governor of Xuzhou and request the court to rectify the title of governor.
Although the position of governor should be based on merit, under the current special circumstances, the best transition method is to let someone who is related to Tao Qian by blood take the position.
On the one hand, Tao Qian's subordinates, Tao Qian's direct troops, and all clan forces that have a vested interest in Tao Qian will temporarily accept such an outcome, at least to achieve a transition to the next year.
Secondly, Tao Shang and Tao Ying were both over 30 years old, and there was no alternative version of the saying "the ruler is young and the country is in doubt". It is also an argument that is relatively acceptable to the people of Xuzhou.
However, their plan was good, except that Tao Qian's two sons were not happy about it.
Not only do they not have the ability to take over the position of Mu of Xuzhou, they also do not have the ambition to do so.
Upon hearing this arrangement, Tao Shang asked directly: "Since you are going to ask the court to rectify the title of Xuzhou Mu, why... why not let the court directly appoint a new Xuzhou Mu?"
If this is possible, why bother pushing one of the two brothers up!
When Chen Deng heard this, his forehead suddenly jumped.
Can you say this casually?
When Tao Qian was the governor of Xuzhou, he did a good job in balancing the power of the aristocratic families within Xuzhou and giving corresponding promotions and concessions.
At the same time, as the official of a state, except for being too risky in appointing Sun Guan, Zang Ba and others, and being somewhat lacking in consideration in appointing Zuo Rong, he generally met the expectations of the scholars of Xuzhou.
But if a governor were to be airdropped directly, who knows if a situation like that in Yizhou would occur. In Yizhou, the soldiers from Dongzhou and Yizhou are fighting against each other. What about Xuzhou?
Given Yuan Shao's status in the court in Yecheng, if Tao Shang's idea were to be conveyed to that end, Chen Deng had no doubt that Yuan Shao might simply let his son take over Xuzhou.
If the situation really came to this, they might as well just choose one of their own people to take over Xuzhou in a way that violates the etiquette and law, or simply leave Tao Qian's body in the position of Xuzhou Mu.
When Chen Deng, Zhao Yu, Wang Lang, and Lu Su, who were all from Xuzhou, looked at each other, it was not difficult to see what they were thinking at the moment.
The fact that Tao Shang could make such a suggestion shows that he really has no political sensitivity at all.
"Tao Gongzu was also a heroic figure, so why did he have two such sons!" After the meeting ended as they were unable to reach a consensus, Lu Su could not help but complain to Chen Deng.
Although one of them was from an aristocratic family and the other a landlord, they were both from Xia Pi County and were not much different in age. They became good friends soon after serving under Tao Qian.
Of course, friends are friends, and Lu Su's defense of Chen Deng was indeed based on his own judgment, not just out of consideration for personal reasons.
Chen Deng sighed, "How can we ask the Yecheng court to appoint the governor of Xuzhou? This is too naive."
If Tao Qian had not just passed away, some things would not be suitable to be said directly, and Chen Deng would have wanted to put forward another way he had thought of.
Since they would rather choose one themselves than let the Yecheng court appoint a governor for Xuzhou, they would actually prefer to ensure the interests of the people of Xuzhou.
So……
Is it possible to consider an outsider who truly cares about people's livelihood, has Han royal blood, and has a reputation for virtue?
By paying real attention to people's livelihood, we can save Xuzhou from crisis as soon as possible.
His royal bloodline of the Han Dynasty meant that he could ignore some issues regarding his qualifications when he became governor.
And if the scholars of Xuzhou had done him a favor by welcoming him, according to common sense he should have reciprocated the favor!
This candidate was exactly the person that Chen Deng had mentioned in his conversation with Qiao Ting.
Liu Bei was in Pei State, Yuzhou at this moment.
Looking at his various actions within the territory of Pei State, they all met Chen Deng's requirements for the identity of Mu of Xuzhou.
But before Chen Deng could find a suitable opportunity to propose this candidate, the situation in Xuzhou changed dramatically.
Zuo Rong, who was in Guangling, announced to the public that he was heartbroken to hear the news of Tao Qian's death.
What made him even more heartbroken was that Chen Gui and his son Chen Deng, who were most likely the culprits in the murder of Tao Qian, were still participating in the parliament to decide who would rule Xuzhou in the future because of other intentions. As a result, Xuzhou might very well become a gift for them to please a certain force and use it to seek advancement for themselves.
Zuo Rong vowed that as a man loyal to Tao Qian and Buddha, he would never allow such a situation to occur in Xuzhou.
Tao Gongzu died in an unclear manner, and he must seek justice for the lord to repay his kindness.
Therefore, he called on the people of Guangling County, if any of them had received favors from Tao Qian in the past, or if any of them were loyal to the Buddhist sect, to join him in forming a team to attack Donghai County in the north, capture Chen and his son, and get to the bottom of Tao Qian's death.
It’s no wonder that his rhetoric is quite inciting.
Zu Lang looked with admiration at Zuo Rong who made this declaration and then put on armor over his Buddhist robe.
If the fatal arrow that hit Tao Qian was actually shot by Zu Lang, and if the news of Tao Qian's death was not actually told to Yu Zuo Rong by Zu Lang, a participant in the incident, rather than rumors from the Hongze Lake area reaching Zuo Rong's ears, just looking at Zuo Rong's words and performance, he would have thought that this man was truly a loyal minister under Tao Qian.
Therefore, those who were incited by Zuo Rong’s remarks were not just the people in Guangling County who had witnessed the miracle of the Buddha Bathing Ceremony.
After the news spread to Donghai County, some people here also expressed doubts about the recent closed-door meeting of the state government.
"This is sheer nonsense!" Chen Gui has always been regarded by the people of Xuzhou as a man of advanced age and virtue. Because of the series of contributions his son has made to Xuzhou, he has been increasingly recognized and respected by the people of the state. How could he have ever been suspected like this!
If they had not wanted to catch a thief and seize the stolen goods, they would have already told others that Zuo Rong had embezzled military rations from the county and had probably killed Tao Qian for this reason.
As a result, Zuo Rong started to cry "the thief is thief". What's the logic behind this?
"Father, now it's not a question of whether Zuo Rong's statement is nonsense or not." Chen Deng replied calmly: "You and I are both very clear about how powerful the Yellow Turban Army was in the past. Zuo Rong's followers also have religious theories at work. Now he is using the remaining influence of Tao Gongzu and the banner of revenge for the governor. In this way, we have to consider a more important issue."
"Without the governor in charge of the command, can we still stop the enemy's attack?"
Desperadoes like Zang Ba of Taishan would obey Tao Qian's orders, but they might not be willing to continue to follow their arrangements after Tao Qian's death.
He and Sun Guan and others stationed troops in Kaiyang County of Langya Commandery, forming their own force. If they wanted to take this opportunity to become independent, no one would be able to effectively control them, and winning them over might even embolden these people to negotiate terms.
If these people are excluded, there are only a handful of military generals in Xuzhou's Donghai County. Who will face Zuo Rong's aggressive invasion?
Maybe someone would say, Lu Su can.
However, the time that Lu Su had gained as a trainee under Tao Qian was too short. It was not enough for him to make a leap forward and become someone capable of commanding an army.
When he thought of this, Chen Deng became more and more interested in getting Liu Bei to join him in Xuzhou.
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei under Liu Bei's command were both fierce generals. Liu Bei himself had been training since the Yellow Turban Rebellion and had experience in conquering Dong Zhuo and fighting Yuan Shu. It should not be difficult for him to deal with Zuo Rong!
Apart from Liu Bei, who else could quell the chaos in Xuzhou in the shortest time and bring Zuo Rong to justice?
I’m afraid not!
Chen Deng added: "Speaking of which, there is another question... What is Donghai Mi Zizhong's current position?"
Mi Zhu was invited by Zuo Rong to go to Guangling County, but no news has been received so far.
This cannot make people sure that he has already defected to Zuo Rong's side, so of course they cannot make any rash actions against the Mi family of Donghai.
As long as they were uncertain about Mi Zhu's position, they would not dare to involve Mi's followers in the fight against Zuo Rong, in order to prevent any unpredictable consequences.
This is really another trouble.
If Mi Zhu really chose Zuo Rong without thinking, it would mean that the trouble they would face would be even greater than before.
But Chen Deng and his team probably don't need to worry about this issue.
Because of the negligence in supervising Zuo Rong when he launched the "swearing-in mobilization" in Guangling County, Mi Zhu had already slipped away from Gaoyou.
It's hard to say whether Zuo Rong was furious after hearing the news, but Mi Zhu had already received the arrangement Qiao Lan had made for him.
He asked him to stay in Sheyang on the pretext of avoiding Zuo Rong's pursuit, and then accidentally passed by Zhang Yi's residence.
This instruction did not involve a change in Mi Zhu's position, so even though this was just an arrangement made by Qiao Yan's intelligence department and not from Qiao Yan himself, Mi Zhu still executed it immediately.
Then, according to Qiao Lan's instructions, he temporarily hid himself and pretended to wait and see until he received the official dispatch from Qiao Yan in Chang'an.
Mi Zhu had felt nauseous because of his previous hypocrisy with Zuo Rong, but now that he was finally freed, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The news sent from Chang'an at full speed would take eight or nine days to reach him. Anyway, the fight between Zuo Rong and Chen Deng would not end quickly, and it would not bring disaster to the Mi family of Donghai. Mi Zhu just got some time to rest.
But he was relieved. In a house not far from him, someone jumped in surprise at the words of the young man opposite him.
Zhang Yi looked at Zhou Yu who was still calm and composed in front of him, and couldn't believe that this right-hand man of Sun Ce would appear here and make such a suggestion for cooperation to him.
Let him be the governor of Xuzhou?
This sounds so unrealistic!
He was indeed resentful that Tao Qian had removed him from the position of Guangling prefect, but at most he just wanted to see who would take over his position in Guangling County.
Anyway, he couldn't stand the way Yan Zuorong acted.
He has not yet become so arrogant as to think he can get his hands on the position of Mu of Xuzhou!
However, in Zhou Yu's opinion, Zhang Yi could really give this position a try.
Earlier, Zhou Yu just wanted to join forces with Zhang Yi to suppress Zuo Rong to prevent Zuo Rong from providing assistance to Zu Lang and causing trouble for Yangzhou.
Under the current circumstances, he can think more boldly.
Because Tao Qian is dead!
With Tao Qian's death, Xuzhou's original undercurrent has turned into a muddy pool.
On the one hand, the gentry in Xuzhou had their own stance.
On the other hand, even if Yuan Shao in the north faced the threat from Qiao Yan, he would definitely want to get a piece of the pie because Qingzhou and Xuzhou were adjacent to each other.
So can they in Yangzhou also intervene in this?
Yuzhang County and Kuaiji County have not yet officially fallen into Sun Ce's hands, which means that the additional troops they can send out are limited, but if they miss this opportunity, Zhou Yu will not be willing to return to Yangzhou.
If they could push the defense line in the north northward, all the way to the Huai River boundary in the middle of Xuzhou, the constraints faced by Jiangdong in its development would inevitably be greatly reduced.
This alone is enough for Zhou Yu to take a risk!
He was no longer limited to pushing Zhang Yi to the position of Guangling prefect, but should also try for the position of Xuzhou governor.
But, the conditions do exist right now.
Zhang Yi was forced to step down by Tao Qian because of his mediocre qualifications, which made him incompetent in certain situations. So what if he had a chance to change his image now?
For example, if he could uncover the truth about the scene of gods and Buddhas appearing in the world that Zuo Rong had created that day, he could also pin the cause of Tao Qian's death on Zuo Rong, and with the assistance of Yangzhou, launch a fatal blow to Zuo Rong from the rear. At least Guangling County south of the Huai River would have the opportunity to return to his rule.
Zhou Yu couldn't help but feel lucky when he thought about the flying lantern he had obtained. It was the most correct decision he had made that day when he took prompt action to chase after the enemy from Gaoyou City.
This is one of the internal conditions for Zhang Yi to ascend to the position.
There are also favorable conditions outside Xuzhou.
Zhou Yu first said to Zhang Yi: "Why not? If I were the governor Zhang, I would definitely not want to watch Zuo Rong take advantage of Tao Gongzu's death to send troops north to turn the entire Xuzhou into his missionary land. By then, people's lives would be difficult, and Governor Zhang himself would be in trouble."
He was not exaggerating. Judging from the state that Zuo Rong displayed when he was preaching in Gaoyou, he did not seem like a person who knew what it meant to show mercy.
Seeing Zhang Yi's thoughtful expression, Zhou Yu continued, "Moreover, if Governor Zhang is willing to cooperate with Yangzhou and help each other, Yangzhou is willing to write to the court in Chang'an to make a memorial for Governor Zhang."
When Zhang Yi heard that he was going to report to the imperial court in Chang'an, his face suddenly turned pale.
But before he could speak, Zhou Yu continued, "Grandmaster Zhang, don't think that the old grudges between you and the Grand Marshal will affect this matter. The dispute over Xuzhou is also a dispute between the courts of Chang'an and Yecheng for the ownership of a state. With the vision and insight of the Grand Marshal, she will never dwell on the past. On the contrary, she will definitely support you to show her broad-mindedness."
The original governor of Xuzhou was appointed by the court in Yecheng. If the new governor of Xuzhou was appointed by the court in Chang'an and could indeed gain a foothold in Xuzhou, would Qiao Yan give up this title?
Zhou Yu thought, no!
This is a really good deal for Qiao Yan.
And what about Zhang Yi? He knew very well that what Zhou Yu meant by "helping each other" must be mostly to take advantage of him, but he still couldn't help but feel moved by the prospect of regaining his position or even getting promoted.
Even if this promotion could be accomplished, it would mean that he would face a far more dangerous situation than he is now. Zhang Yi's chaotic thoughts turned into just one sentence, "What do I need to do now?"
It was impossible for him to get a commission directly from the Chang'an court without taking any action.
He needs to show some results before that.
Zhou Yu smiled when he heard this.
Zhang Yi's words meant that he had made his decision.
He replied, "There is no need to rush to gather the troops. Please ask Governor Zhang to visit someone first."
A Xuzhou native who did not seem to intend to cooperate with Zuo Rong, nor did he stand on the side of Chen Deng, Lu Su and others.
Mi Zhu of the Mi clan in Donghai.
Coincidentally, he is right here.
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