Chapter 328: Clouds Moving in All Directions
Xin Pi knew very well what kind of person Tian Feng was.
In addition, his background as a Hebei gentry made it even less likely that he would switch to another household.
So even though Tian Feng's "legendary" resume of promotion was previously published in the Leping Monthly, and there was even an iron inscribed palm-leaf fan file sent from Chang'an to Jizhou as proof, Xin Pi was still more willing to believe that what Tian Feng asked Yuan Xi to tell him after returning to Yecheng was closer to the truth.
It was indeed due to various coincidences that Tian Feng's original plan of going to Bingzhou for investigation ended up being promoted in Chang'an City. Also, because Yuan Shao failed to provide him with adequate support, he was unable to extricate himself for a while.
But the scene just now made Xin Pi a little suspicious.
When he learned through inquiries that Tian Feng and others who came on behalf of the emperor in Chang'an to read the imperial decree had appeared here more than half a month ago, his suspicion became even clearer.
It really can't be blamed on him for making random accusations against Tian Feng.
If Tian Feng wanted to convey some message to Yuan Shao by arriving in Zhuo County, or wanted to escape back to Jizhou himself, with his wisdom, he could have taken action within such a long period of time. How is it possible that no news has been conveyed until now?
Xin Pi also saw with his own eyes that Tian Feng, Xun You, Sima Yi and others were having a very pleasant conversation, which did not look like the appearance of someone who was enduring humiliation at all.
What made Xin Pi feel even more uneasy was that he actually saw a somewhat relaxed attitude from Tian Feng, which was definitely not the attitude that someone in the enemy camp should exhibit!
"If you follow my analysis, don't try to contact Tian Yuanhao." The subordinate who entered the enemy camp with Xin Pi said, "Besides, you are from Yingchuan after all. As you said, you met Xun Gongda once in your early years. Don't run into him."
Xin Pi replied: "I know the situation well. Once we have learned everything we want to know here, we will leave immediately and will not stay any longer."
He chose a very interesting channel to obtain information.
The newly recruited soldiers from Zhuo County were the first to inquire about the changes in Youzhou. Who were the most powerful people were clearly known to him through the mouths of these soldiers.
Among these soldiers who have just begun to restore order, it is very likely that they will start to worship the hero who defeated Gongsun Zan, and even make a big fuss about it.
But the biggest problem is that because Tian Feng is more familiar with him than Xun You, his identity may be easily exposed.
This is a bit bad!
Even though he had discussed with Xin Ping whether the status of their aristocratic families would be impacted by the development of paper and printing in Guanzhong, and whether Yuan Shao had any chance to deal with Qiao Yan's current arrogance as he controlled five states, Xin Pi had no intention of surrendering to the enemy in the middle of a battle.
But if he was betrayed by Tian Feng, wouldn't he lose the right to make his own choices?
You still have to stay away from each other.
While Xin Pi was thinking, if Tian Feng had been away from Jizhou for three years, could he still cause trouble to Jizhou during his defense here? At the same time, he noticed that his subordinate picked up the cloth bag assigned to their team and opened it, and found that it was a sewing kit.
It is not strange to let the soldiers mend their own clothes in the military camp. After all, it is normal to mend clothes and continue wearing them when they are worn out these days.
But what if the mending also specifies a pattern?
That doesn't seem normal.
"Embroider this tiger tooth pattern on the clothes?" The subordinate took out a pattern from the clip, his speechless expression evident on his face. "Isn't this a complete waste of time?"
He got the answer when he went out to ask the next day.
Because of the blessing contained in the Tiger Fang General's words, Lu Bu felt it necessary to let everyone in his camp know about it.
What is Tiger Tooth General?
He was tall and had long arms, was good at drawing the bow and shooting, and was able to turn danger into safety in every battle.
So if we embroider a tiger tooth pattern on clothes, wouldn't the whole army be able to inherit this style?
Xin Pi: “…”
No, this Lu Fengxian is sick!
Even if Xun You ordered the sewing kit to be put away after discovering it, it would probably still be listed as a wonder in the military camp.
But wait…
Xin Pi pondered, wondering if he had found the most suitable person to be a target?
Over in Youzhou, Xin Pi, after "recognizing" Tian Feng's betrayal, prepared to act cautiously and target the conspicuous guy Lu Bu to make a secret plan.
And on the other side——
"Lobbying?"
Qiao Yan unfolded the letter sent from Xuzhou, with a playful look on his face.
If there was another war this year, it would be a heavy burden even for her. So although she gave the Qiao sisters the autonomy to promote the Yangzhou Alliance, and gave Jia Xu the order to delay Zhou Yu on the Xuzhou front when necessary, she did not actually expect any major changes to occur in Xu and Yang states this year.
While Cao Ang was returning to Yanzhou to inform Cao Cao of her proposed bargaining chips and let him decide, Sun Ce also submitted a memorial to the court.
In the memorial, he listed several crimes committed by Huang Zu, the prefect of Yuzhang County, and said that this man was suspected of having his own troops and was self-reliant. Directly replacing the prefect of this place by the court might cause unnecessary unrest, so he took him down in the name of Yangzhou Governor and recommended Zhu Zhi of Danyang as the prefect of Yuzhang.
Although the court may have some complaints about Sun Ce regarding this memorial due to the remote location of Yangzhou, they will probably approve it, and then Sun Ce will surely take drastic measures in Yuzhang.
Huang Zu's death was undoubtedly also a warning from Sun Ce to the Yangzhou families. If they continued to maintain this state of non-violent non-cooperation, Huang Zu's today would be their tomorrow, and they might not even have the same defensive capabilities as Huang Zu.
But this warning is unlikely to have the desired effect.
The arrogant attitude that the Yangzhou family had developed over the years made them feel that Sun Ce was a reckless man even more after seeing his behavior.
Taking advantage of the winter calm after the autumn harvest, while Sun Ce was rectifying the government affairs of Yuzhang County, these families, along with Zu Lang, Huang She and others, would gradually unite together.
These hidden claws may show up next year, but not this year.
However, as stated in the letter, there are still some preparations that can be made this year.
Qiao Yan handed the letter to Xi Zhicai who was standing beside him and said, "See what Pang Shiyuan is thinking. He made a bet with Lu Su."
When Xi Zhicai unfolded the letter, he saw that Pang Tong wrote that he wanted to get permission from the prince to contact some people.
In order to bring Lu Su under his command, he made a bet with Lu Su that he, with his twenty cavalrymen and himself, could cause Liu Bei some trouble by causing him to lose territory and men.
If possible, please ask Lu Su to take another look at what this young man said.
If Pang Tong alone could cause such trouble to Liu Bei, Lu Su should really think carefully about whether handing Xuzhou over to someone like Liu Bei would be capable enough to maintain peace.
If we talk about benevolent governance and the hearts of the people, could it be that the achievements of their Grand Marshal in saving countless lives in Guanzhong and Liangbing states in his early years were not as good as those of Liu Bei?
Under the circumstances at the time, because they had to compare with Zuo Rong and faced with the sudden death of Tao Qian, Liu Bei was indeed their best solution, but "the lord chooses his ministers, and the ministers choose their lord" has never been a wrong thing. Why did they have to stick to their original ideas when there were other options?
"He is quite interesting. Except for Taishan County controlled by Zang Ba and others, the northern part of Xuzhou is basically the territory that Liu Bei and the Xuzhou noble families can actually control. It is too easy to be discovered if you make any moves in these places. It is definitely not something that can be solved with his so-called twenty riders."
Xi Zhicai asked: "Then are you prepared to allow him to take this action?"
"Why not?" Qiao Yan showed a look of anticipation, "Pang Shiyuan's graduation exam was not successfully completed in Liaodong, but it is not considered as handed in yet!"
Now is the time for him to show his skills!
The only thing that requires her to provide some assistance is——
"Let Zhang Ren go with Shi Yuan. We have to be prepared for unexpected situations."
There is nothing wrong with Pang Tong's strategy, but we still need to be on guard against his luck.
Especially now, when this dispute is just beginning.
After Pang Tong received permission from Qiao Yan's reply, he immediately set off with Lu Su and the twenty riders.
Before leaving, he and Jia Xu signed a military order.
If he failed to complete the task, or even let Lu Su take the opportunity to escape, he would be beheaded.
"You are really..." Lu Su looked at the mount he was assigned and his hands and feet that could move freely, met Pang Tong's gaze, and said the second half of the sentence, "How daring."
Pang Tong replied calmly, "Since I have been gifted by the Lord, I am destined to be a phoenix chick. Even if my head is broken, I still have the tail feathers to identify me. I can still see the world while I am still alive. I am not like you, Lu Zijing, who has the reputation of being brave and resourceful, but in fact has found a rope to tie yourself up."
Lu Su was too lazy to refute him.
Since he had already made a bet with Pang Tong, he naturally would not run away at this time.
He wanted to see what this kid Pang Tong could do with these twenty people.
According to Pang Tong, he would not rely on the Mi clan of the East China Sea, like the situation when Qiao Yan took Zheng Xuan to Bingzhou. In name, there were twenty cavalrymen, but in fact there was also the Mi clan's caravan on the side.
He would not rely on the fact that there is a person among these twenty people with high fighting ability to carry out an assassination.
In that case, why not wait and see what he is going to do!
Even Lu Su had to admit that Pang Tong was indeed worthy of the fact that he grew up in a circle of celebrities in Nanyang.
But when Pang Tong led him westward along the Huai River, passing through Xia Pi County and heading towards Yuzhou, Lu Su's face changed.
He seemed to know what Pang Tong was going to do!
Oops! If one wanted to make Liu Bei lose land and people, he really didn't have to limit his attention to Xuzhou. After all, before Liu Bei entered Xuzhou, he still had control over Pei State in Yuzhou.
Even after he went to Xuzhou, Pei State was actually still under the governance of Liu Bei.
In particular, when Cao Cao went south to attack Yuan Shu, he considered that it was not appropriate to have any territorial disputes with his colleagues at this time, so he still handed over Pei State to Liu Bei's hands, and took over Chen County and Runan County himself.
But this land outside Xuzhou, firstly, does not have enough garrison troops, and secondly...
That is Cao Cao’s hometown!
If the powerful families of Pei State, who are on good terms with the Cao and Xiahou families of Pei State, were given a choice, would they listen to the voices of the people and continue to serve Liu Bei, or would they simply, under the guidance of someone with ulterior motives, show goodwill to Cao Cao and ask him to take over these places?
I'm afraid it's the latter!
In particular, Xuzhou may be caught up in disputes at any time. Who knows whether Liu Bei's steady development when attacking Yuan Shu will turn into conscription of soldiers against Xuzhou to counter the alliance between southern Xuzhou and Yangzhou.
On the other hand, Cao Cao now controls most of Yanzhou and Yuzhou, and has Wei County where the imperial court in Yecheng is located. He can get troop support from the imperial court at any time. He and Qiao Yan have formulated a truce on the border between Runan and Yingchuan. Even if the war breaks out again, the first conflict will not be in Pei State.
This is a safer leader!
Would Cao Cao make things difficult for these fellow villagers?
"Mr. Zijing, you must know how powerful the local party is now. I am going here to lobby as a member of Cao Yanzhou. What do you think is the chance of success?"
Pang Tong straightened his sleeves, still acting like a pedant at a young age. "You don't have to say that my actions are adding trouble to the people who are already suffering this year. In terms of performance, what Cao Mengde's military commander has done in Yanzhou in the past few years is no worse than that of Mr. Chen Yuanlong in Xuzhou. Talents like Man Boning have also joined the ranks of management, so it won't be a big deal even if we have one more county."
"In terms of power transition, Liu Xuande was more benevolent than imposing power on Pei State. Once the local powerful persuaded the county chiefs to surrender directly, the replacement of the stationed troops would only take a moment."
While Lu Su was distracted, he heard Pang Tong say, "My lord said that he would not cross the boundary between Yingchuan and Runan and disrupt the hard-won peace in Yuzhou, but he didn't seem to say—"
"We can't interfere with the situation in Pei State from the direction of Xuzhou, right?"
If Pei State was lost, Liu Bei's only territory would be the northern part of Xuzhou, and there would inevitably be a war between the north and south of Xuzhou.
This is equivalent to cutting off Liu Bei's retreat!
Pang Tong said: "Mr. Zijing, you see, this is what I said, your vision is not long enough, and the scope is not broad enough. If you act like this, you will get caught in your own trap sooner or later."
He squeezed the horse's belly and sped forward.
Pang Tong and Lu Su spoke freely, but he could not convince the powerful people in Pei State with just a few words. He said that he was Cao Cao's envoy and had to deal with Cao Cao's troops stationed in Runan County in order to make the people of Pei State really believe his words.
The general direction has been decided, but how to implement it is still a tough battle. He must not slack off at this moment and let down the Lord's permission to give it a try!
Looking at Pang Tong's high-spirited back, Lu Su couldn't help but fall into deep thought for a moment.
He was captured by these people and brought to his own territory. Was it because of his inability to cope with the civil strife in Xuzhou, or was it a blessing that broke the shell that had trapped him in a corner of Xuzhou?
Is he really tying himself up in knots?
But he is not the only one in this world who is doing things that only make things difficult for himself!
Because of Xin Pi's persuasion, Yuan Shao did not send anyone to Chang'an City to contact Liu Yu's descendants and the forces opposing the Grand Marshal in Chang'an City, so as to avoid instigating the other party to stir up trouble in Chang'an, but instead follow in Tian Feng's footsteps and waste his own manpower.
However, the voices of some people still gathered together during Qiao Yan's short stay in Bingzhou.
Yuan Yao looked across and saw Guanglu Doctor Chunyu Jia.
He looked next to him again. He didn't recognize the person, but he vaguely remembered that this person was an official in Situ's mansion.
Looking up, Liu Yang, who was at the top, had already put on an indignant look, exactly the same as when Yuan Yao came to Chang'an and stood up for him when he was not able to continue to take over Yizhou!
He sighed silently and began to wonder if reporting this news could bring him a more comfortable life.
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard Liu Yang slap the table and said, "This Grand Marshal really doesn't take you seriously!"
Liu Yang was completely unaware that someone else in the room was thinking that the Grand Marshal had better not take me seriously. Instead, he continued, "She took Yizhou and Youzhou one after another, but she didn't report it to the court in time. It would have been fine, but she actually took credit for it and was so proud of it. Could it be that she really thinks that the court in Chang'an is hers and she has the final say?"
He looked at the official whose name Yuan Yao did not know, "Si Tu worked diligently for state affairs in the court, but was reprimanded by the Grand Marshal for doing nothing and even losing the late emperor. He almost wanted to resign on the spot."
He turned his gaze to Chun Yujia. "The Grand Master of Imperial Household advised her not to slack off this year, which was unworthy of the title of Grand Marshal. It would have been fine if she had been insulted to the point of vomiting blood on the spot, but she was also being brought up during the autumn harvest season."
Yuan Yao looked at Liu Yang in silence and then turned to him, "Let's talk about Zixu's situation. With the ability of General Qiao to capture two states in a short time, how difficult would it be for him to take back Yuzhou? Zixu has suffered the pain of losing his father, but he is still wasting time in Chang'an City without a chance to avenge his father. Who can bear it?"
"It was you who were harmed, but she returned to Bingzhou and stayed there for two months. She said she wanted to discuss cotton trading with Cao Cao and take the opportunity to promote printed books in that area. This may be a lie to fool a three-year-old child, or to fool my father who tolerated her because he saved his life. Her real intention is very clear."
"Firstly, Chang'an City is surrounded by the area where she has stationed her troops. She is planning to move to another place and gradually weaken the power in Chang'an City."
"Secondly, with this deal with Cao Cao, who knows if she is planning to have the best of both worlds and start a new business."
Liu Yang's tone became more and more excited, and his face even flushed. "Everyone, our Han Dynasty may not have been destroyed by the eunuchs' rebellion, but the thief Dong usurped power, but he will perish in the hands of the minister entrusted by Emperor Xiaoling!"
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