Chapter 393 Ye...
Yuan Shao raised his eyes and looked at the emperor sitting at the top.
A few days ago, when he received the news that Qiao Yan had ascended the throne, he had a terrible headache and was about to suffer from chest tightness and shortness of breath, but he didn't know if he had made preparations in advance. Today, when he really heard about the coronation ceremony, his mind was in an absolutely clear state.
So he also clearly realized that when Liu Bian said this, the short sentence "What is your opinion, General?" was actually mixed with such complicated thoughts.
Liu Bian is afraid!
He was afraid that Qiao Yan's ascension to the throne had been completely announced, and the Han Dynasty would no longer have any room for recovery and would completely collapse.
Although he, the emperor of Yecheng, seemed to still have these old ministers and supporters by his side, he had long lost the dignity of an emperor.
He was shocked!
He was surprised that none of the court officials who were supposed to be Han officials expressed opposition to Qiao Yan's usurpation of the throne at this moment.
If even people like Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song no longer care about the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty, then are there already many people lurking in the court of Yecheng who are ready to defect to the other side at any time?
He is suspicious!
It is doubtful whether Yang Biao, who actually has no real power at the moment, will become an important figure who defects to Chang'an because of his son Yang Xiu.
I even doubt that the incompetent general Yuan Shao, after seeing Qiao Yan ascend the throne and become the emperor in such a smooth manner, would follow her example and carry out such a change of dynasty, which would also allow all orders in Yecheng to no longer have to go through Liu Bian's hand!
But if Yuan Shao were to say it, Liu Bian really wouldn't have to worry about this.
Judging from the current situation, the existence of Liu Bian can actually be said to be Yuan Shao's advantage.
Yuan Shao replied, "Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. The old officials in Chang'an did not oppose Qiao Yan's ascension to the throne. Just like Wang Zishi's attempt to assassinate Qiao Yan would never succeed, because the military power in her hands means she does not have to listen to anyone's advice. Lu Zigan has returned to Bingzhou from Chang'an. It is possible that he has been detained. Although Huangfu Yizhen is the Grand Marshal, he has no actual power to lead troops. In addition, the Duke of Anyi and the Duke of Shanyang are in the hands of the traitors. They did not raise any objections. It is possible that they were helpless."
"The Han Dynasty's 400-year foundation is here, and the family that has been deeply favored by the emperor is here. She wants to overthrow it overnight. It's simply a joke!"
Hearing Yuan Shao's words, Liu Bian's face, which had turned pale with nervousness, improved for a moment, "What the general said is not wrong."
But whether these words really convinced him or not, even if he didn't say it directly and frankly, his tone actually revealed some of it.
Liu Bian was no longer the young man who was so happy that he lost his mind when Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu recommended him to the throne.
During the seven years, although he was not able to move around outside like Liu Xie, but was always confined to the cramped imperial palace in Yecheng, Liu Bian's mind was bound to grow as he communicated with court officials about current affairs and read books and newspapers.
Liu Bian was able to guess a few things based on his intuition, whether Liu Xie and Liu Yu were forced to give up their thrones and offer their seals, whether Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song surrendered because the previous emperor was controlled by others, and whether Yuan Shao's remarks were intended to increase the confidence of those present and to throw dirty water on Qiao Yan.
But rather than saying that Liu Bian felt comforted by Yuan Shao's words that there are people in the world who are loyal to the Han Dynasty, it is better to say that he felt a sense of security because of Yuan Shao's attitude at this moment.
Yuan Shao’s words actually made it very clear.
In terms of civil and military affairs, the court in Yecheng was obviously lagging behind Chang'an. Even Liu Bian wanted to ask why in the past few years he could only hear news about Qiao Yan's expansion of territory, but not about Yuan Shao expanding his territory by one or two counties, and even lost Xuzhou, which was originally on their side.
The only thing Yuan Shao could use was Liu Bian's reputation as the orthodox Han dynasty.
Even if the appearance of Liu Xie and the imperial seal allowed the Han Dynasty to pass on the country to the Yong Dynasty, it would still be an acceptable cognition, but there would certainly be many people in this world who only cared about enjoying the Han Dynasty's salary.
This is the sentence "The four hundred years of Han Dynasty's foundation lies here"!
Since Chang'an is no longer the Han Dynasty court, perhaps some people will defect to their side and become their helper at this critical juncture of confrontation between the two sides.
Therefore, Yuan Shao had to hold on to the orthodox name of "Great Han" firmly, rather than making any moves to start a new regime at a time when the situation was already not good.
And the sentence "The noble family deeply favored by the emperor is here" is undoubtedly a portrayal of Yuan Shao himself!
As early as the moment "Chang Yan" was published last year, Yuan Shao, who had a background of three generations of officials, would never have made a wrong judgment. Qiao Yan was not only not a fellow traveler with him, but also a stranger on a different path.
He didn't know where the problem came from that would cause Qiao Yan, who should have belonged to the aristocratic family, to come up with such an idea of enlightening the people. He also didn't know why she suppressed the aristocratic family forces in the appointment of official positions at the beginning of the founding of the country.
But he was very clear that those who had the same interests as him at the moment, even if they were now under Qiao Yan's command, as one of the components of her Great Yong Dynasty, had to temporarily make the decision to submit to her because of fear of the people's hearts controlled by her, they could become the resistance force here at any time.
There was no way Yuan Shao would surrender to Qiao Yan after his defeat.
These two attitudes were enough to make Liu Bian feel a little safe.
Of course, only a little.
At best, it would make Liu Bian believe that he could still stand on the same front with Yuan Shao.
But if they cannot defeat Qiao Yan, the final result will be death together, and there is no way to find a way to survive through this alliance.
Liu Bian really couldn't ignore another thing that happened before Qiao Yan ascended the throne.
Yuan Shao took advantage of Qiao Yan's return to Chang'an and the rift between her and Liu Yu to launch an attack on Luoyang, which was on the defensive.
That was not even the action taken by Yuan Shao's troops alone, it also included the assisting attack made by Cao Cao from the direction of Hulao Pass.
But what is the result?
To date, this offensive war has lasted for almost a month, but there has been no breakthrough on any battlefield, so Liu Bian couldn't even praise Yuan Shao for his ability to seize the opportunity to send troops.
Yes, Luoyang is indeed a place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack.
If not for this, when the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, Emperor Ling of Han would not have hastily locked the eight passes to prevent the invasion of the Yellow Turban rebels.
It was indeed because of such guards that after Tang Zhou informed on Ma Yuanyi and others who were captured from Luoyang City, the only places closest to Luoyang affected by the Yellow Turban Rebellion were Yingchuan and Nanyang.
Also because of such garrison conditions, despite Dong Zhuo's perverse means, the soldiers and subordinates he brought were able to block the Suanzao coalition forces of Yuan Shao and others outside Hulao Pass for a time.
But at this critical moment, the success or failure of the war is particularly important.
Yuan Shao was unable to break through any of the eight passes in Luoyang, and instead wasted a lot of manpower. These people who should have been put into spring ploughing as soon as possible were used to escort military rations. How can the problem be attributed solely to the difficulty of attacking Luoyang!
Not to mention, Qiao Yan was not in Luoyang before, and Yuan Shao's subordinates were only facing the civil servant Xun Yu.
Liu Bian simply could not understand what kind of abilities Xun Yu, a "talented assistant to the king" who had never been involved in the court before Liu Hong's death, could demonstrate, and why he made Zhang He, sent by Yuan Shao, stop in Mengjin.
He only knew that Yuan Shao had failed to launch any effective counterattack against Qiao Yan when Chang'an was on fire, so that at this moment they could only watch Qiao Yan ascend the throne helplessly.
"I also know what you all think of the Han Dynasty," Liu Bian said again, suppressing his frustration, "but now that she has usurped the throne and there is no voice in Chang'an that opposes her, once she has reorganized her military, she will surely march eastward and pass through the Luoyang Pass. I would like to ask you, how will we respond?"
Liu Bian had no doubt that Qiao Yan would lead the army in person in this battle to conquer the world.
If she held the power offered by the "legitimate Han Dynasty" represented by Liu Yu and Liu Xie, and personally destroyed Liu Bian's pseudo-Han Dynasty, then she would no longer have to worry about anyone questioning the legitimacy of her throne.
Moreover, once Qiao Yan marches eastward, will he only be leading the Luoyang army?
Absolutely not!
Yuan Shao did not inform Liu Bian of all the war situations in various places, but there were people in the Chang'an court who were dissatisfied with Qiao Yan taking on such an important task, and of course there were also people in the Yecheng court who were dissatisfied with Yuan Shao.
The difficulty in advancing territory over the past few years made some people think about replacing Yuan Shao.
Without having personally fought against Qiao Yan's troops, there would always be people who overestimate their own abilities and think that the reason why they failed to achieve significant results in the battle against Qiao Yan was not because Qiao Yan was too capable, but because Yuan Shao was not capable enough to command the troops.
These people naturally informed Liu Bian of the battle situation on the Ji-You border.
The current situation seems even more dangerous!
Luoyang, Bingzhou, and Youzhou may all send troops towards Yecheng. Once Yuan Shao fails to stop the other side in time, it is only a matter of time before the last seeds of the Han Dynasty are crushed.
Who will ensure his safety then?
Do you expect Qiao Yan to have a sense of conscience?
He even asked Yuan Shao in a desperate attempt, "General, if we ask the people of Liang State Qiao to go to Chang'an, can they get us some useful things?"
For example, at one point Liu Yang also took away the explosives.
Although that thing was only used by Qiao Yan to intimidate Zuo Ci and in the fireworks for his coronation, Liu Bian would not be able to rest easy as long as it did not appear on the battlefield in a direct confrontation.
Who knows whether this thing will become a magic weapon for Qiao Yan to break through on a battlefield somewhere, and who knows whether this thing can have any other uses besides being a fixed-point blasting tool?
It is really not Liu Bian's fault that he was plotting against the Qiao family of Liang State.
Ever since Qiao Yan opened a separate branch of the Qiao family in Leping, she had been determined to sever ties with that branch of the family. For this reason, the Qiao family in Yanzhou knew that they could not gain any wealth from Qiao Yan, and unfortunately they had offended Cao Cao, so they could only pin all their hopes on the court in Yecheng.
In the situation where there was no useful talent in the clan, they sent some of their private property to Yecheng in exchange for a position for a younger member of the family in Liu Bian's Jinwu Guard.
Yuan Shao didn't care about such a position anyway, so Liu Bian also listened to some gossip from him just to pass the time.
For example, when Qiao Yan was on his way to quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he passed by the ancestral home but did not stay here for long, which revealed signs of his ruthlessness.
For example, the daughter of Qiao Mao, whom they sent to study at Leping Academy out of kindness, actually chose to draw a line between herself and her family and joined the Leping Qiao family. But what's the point of being registered with that branch sect? You can still only be a doctor.
For example, the two sisters Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting, who disappeared after Qiao Rui's death a few years ago, were originally thought to be missing or murdered by their family. However, they suddenly joined Qiao Yan's army and even made a name for themselves. When they learned the news, they were already working in the Ministry of Justice. This was another piece of news that caught them off guard.
However, this young man who was a member of the Jinwu Guard obviously would not say that as early as when Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting escaped, the elders of the Qiao family had already planned their destination, which made them make such a hasty decision to flee. He only said that it was clearly an act of unfilial piety for them to not keep vigil for their father and go to Bingzhou to pursue wealth and status.
In short, even though Qiao Yan has replaced the Han Dynasty and established Dayong, there are only four members of the Dayong clan including Qiao Yan, and they are all women. At this time, does she still have to maintain her previous hostility towards the Qiao family of Liang and not use the power of the clan to balance her subordinates?
If the people of Liang State Qiao's family were allowed to set off for Chang'an, they might actually be able to gain something.
But just as Liu Bian said this, Yuan Shao replied: "I think your majesty should give up this plan."
Liu Bian did not notice that at the moment when he had such thoughts, there flashed an indescribable mockery in Yuan Shao's lowered eyes.
This idea of checks and balances is indeed quite similar to the style of Emperor Xiaoling.
I don't know how much he has learned about the skill of killing the donkey after it has done its job.
If Liu Bian was not still of great use at this time, Yuan Shao would not be willing to treat Liu Bian in such a perfunctory manner.
But even though he thought so in his heart, he still said when he spoke: "If it is normal times, using clansmen as intermediaries, it may be feasible, but not now. As the two armies are fighting, Qiao Yan will definitely be suspicious of such a sudden visitor. Not being able to get what Your Majesty wants is secondary. If he uses it in turn, it will be really bad."
As soon as he said this, many people around him showed understanding on their faces.
This situation of being exploited in turn was counted once by Tian Feng, once by Yuan Xi, and once by Xin Pi if he really wanted to. It is no wonder that Yuan Shao was extremely alert to this situation.
Unfortunately, to contend with Qiao Yan, they still have to rely on the great General Yuan Shao. This is not the time for them to make fun of their colleagues in the court, so they can only laugh in their hearts.
"That's true." Liu Bian was stunned for a moment before continuing, "I wonder what the general has to teach me?"
Yuan Shao replied: "Play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, and attack their vital points."
Hearing the certainty in Yuan Shao's words, Liu Bian couldn't help but show joy on his face, "General, please tell me in detail."
Yuan Shao said, "Since we have no way to avoid it, we can only fight. Qiao Yan intends to establish his kingdom through military exploits, so we must rely on your majesty's prestige to stir up internal turmoil. Your majesty holds the Han Dynasty. If you can stand on the high platform in Yecheng and raise your arms, calling for the restoration of the Han Dynasty, and read out the text of the expedition against Qiao Yan, in addition to the four states we control, the rest of the states will surely have people of integrity and ambition responding."
"I have ordered my subordinate Chen Kongzhang to write this manifesto, which will ensure that Your Majesty will have prestige and momentum when denouncing Qiao Yan."
Liu Bian had originally been thinking that if he were to write the manifesto himself, he was afraid that what he would produce would be really unsatisfactory. With Yuan Shao's words, the huge stone in his heart suddenly fell halfway.
If we talk about Chen Lin's writing style and sharp words, in Yecheng, no, it should be said that in Jizhou, he dares to say that he is second to none and no one dares to claim to be first. The manifesto written by him must be majestic and powerful, pointing the sword at Chang'an.
"When your majesty announced to all quarters, we seemed to be still deadlocked on the Luoyang front, waiting for the help of knowledgeable people from all over the world. In fact, we might as well find another way to cross the Taihang Mountains and go straight to Bingzhou."
Bingzhou is also a place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it is also Qiao Yan’s first springboard for development.
Among them, the items stored in Leping Academy and the cotton in Shangjun, Bingzhou, have been coveted by Yuan Shao for a long time.
It is said that it is not easy to fight across the Taihang Mountains, but none of Qiao Yan's troops who are best at mountain warfare are stationed here.
It is said that Bingzhou is the place where she made her fortune and it should be strictly guarded. However, it is precisely this kind of misconception that makes it hard to imagine that Yuan Shao would actually make this choice.
so--
This is really worth a try.
If he could really succeed, it wouldn't be that difficult for him to intercept Qiao Yan's returning team!
The impact of the Great Han Dynasty being saved is immeasurable.
The prospect outlined in this picture made Liu Bian's eyes light up, and he immediately replied: "Let's do as the general says."
But after the morning court ended, not long after Yuan Shao walked out of the court, he saw a eunuch running towards him in a hurry, with a note in his hand. When the eunuch came to him, he heard the eunuch say that His Majesty had something else that needed Yuan Shao's help.
"What new suggestions has your Majesty come up with?" Xu You asked Yuan Shao.
Yuan Shao opened the hastily written edict and saw that it was not Liu Bian's suggestion that the Liang State Qiao family should establish a relationship with Qiao Yan, but an order to him.
"He told me to arrest all those who might have connections with the Chang'an court, including Yang Taiwei." Yuan Shao sneered, "What kind of thing is this? I am the one who is suspicious of others. The emperor is innocent and is just a puppet in my hands?"
If Liu Bian wanted to play such a trick on him, he was really a little naive based on his ability!
"This is really the second Emperor Xiaoling. What a pity..."
Unfortunately, Liu Bian did not have the ability to gradually gain power like Liu Hong, and Yuan Shao would not give Liu Bian the opportunity to support a force to fight against him.
But when he thought that Liu Bian was still thinking about such a chilling thing at this critical moment against Qiao Yan, and that Qiao Yan had so easily gotten rid of the constraints that Liu Yu might have put on her and became the emperor who had the final say, Yuan Shao felt a surge of envy or jealousy rushing to his head.
There was a moment when he couldn't help but wonder, if he had stopped hesitating and taken the position of general earlier, first conquering Youzhou and then Xuzhou, would his situation today not be so passive?
Even if his situation could be several times better than it is today, could he get rid of the big man's influence on her like Qiao Yan did?
No! He'd better not think about it.
Thinking about this nonsense right now will do absolutely no good except making you feel worse.
He was already in a bad mood.
Anyone who knew him a little bit would be able to see that he was not as calm as he appeared in the court today.
What made Liu Bian read out the manifesto to attack Qiao Yan, attracting loyal ministers and generals who were still willing to protect the Han Dynasty?
In today's world, the only people who are capable of competing with Qiao Yan are him and Cao Cao.
The remaining talented and learned people in the thirteen states have already established their positions, so there is no room for omissions.
It was just a move to reassure the soldiers, counselors and generals in Jizhou and Qingzhou in the name of Liu Bian's orthodoxy.
And the attack on Bingzhou...
The analysis given to him by Xu You, Guo Tu and others did give him a rough idea of Qiao Yan's teams, but since they had not made any progress in Luoyang before, Yuan Shao had to doubt whether the tragedy would happen again when they reached Bingzhou.
If such a situation really happened, he would have no ability to turn the situation around!
"Ziyuan... do you think we still have a chance of winning?"
Yuan Shao has always been proud of his family background, but no matter how prominent a family is, it is more or less inferior to the imperial power.
On the one hand, he changed the name "Qiao Yeshu" to "Qiao Yan" after Qiao Yan proclaimed himself emperor, but on the other hand, he felt that the move made by the other party had once again forced him into a dead end. The fear of not being able to be honest with his subordinates followed him like a shadow, making him want to find a place to escape for two days.
But he knew very well that he did not have the capital to be so willful.
What he had to do now was to invest all the resources he could mobilize into this confrontation and never let himself relax for a moment.
How could Xu You not know how Yuan Shao felt at the moment?
When he suddenly heard the news that the Han Dynasty had become the Yong Dynasty, Xu You couldn't help but think of the scene when he saw Qiao Yan talking eloquently and writing in the Dingzhongguan.
No one would have thought that the young phoenix back then would become the emperor today.
It's more than just a young phoenix having a clear voice, it's actually a phoenix singing in the sky and soaring in the sky!
When she was still the Grand Marshal, perhaps she could convince herself to ignore this huge gap by saying “we are all subjects, who knows if there will be a day of overthrow”. But the moment she took a step forward and stepped onto the throne, this huge difference between heaven and earth was revealed to her in an extremely cruel way!
This is probably the most accurate description of Yuan Shao’s thoughts at the moment.
Perhaps the only thing that makes Yuan Shao feel a little superior is that Qiao Yan still does not have a successor.
But when he thought that Qiao Yan was only 23 years old this year and had just escaped an ambush by Liu Yang and others, this little sense of superiority was completely gone.
Xu You sighed silently and replied, "If even Ming Gong says such mournful words at this moment, then we really have no hope."
Yuan Shao received Xu You's encouraging words and said, "You are right, so I plan to leave Yecheng secretly."
A hint of coldness flashed across his eyes, which made Xu You suddenly think of the time when he chose to support Yuan Shao and worked hard for him. The demeanor displayed by this young master of the Yuan family was exactly the same as the one he had at the moment!
Yuan Shao's sudden behavior meant that he had not yet been fully aware of the news from Chang'an. Instead, at this moment when he was in a desperate situation, he intended to launch a desperate counterattack.
This is the kind of performance we want!
Before Xu You could ask, Yuan Shao continued, "I want to go to Yanzhou."
Since the news of Qiao Yan's official ascension to the throne had already been discussed in the court of Yecheng, it had also spread to Yanzhou long ago.
To be more precise, it was Qiao Yan's messenger who first delivered the news to Luoyang at full speed, so that the soldiers and civilians who were fighting to protect their homes could feel at ease, and then sent the news all the way to Hulao Pass.
Guo Jia, who was confronting Cao Cao, changed the flag of the Han Dynasty to that of the Yong Dynasty before Cao Cao was prepared. He even launched a surprise attack that night without hesitation and passed the news of the change of the throne to Cao Cao during the attack on the camp.
Whether it was because the sudden change in the world had far exceeded what Cao Cao could have imagined, or because Xu Huang, who had long wanted to make another military achievement, inflicted a heavy defeat on Cao Cao under the command of Guo Jia in this attack on the camp, all of these prompted Cao Cao to make a prompt decision to withdraw his troops from Sili and return to Yanzhou.
But this return trip did not mean that Cao Cao would go directly back to Dongjun, the capital of Yanzhou, but that he would temporarily retreat to Suanzao in Chenliu County.
That is to say, it was the place where the Suanzao Alliance was held.
When Chen Gong stepped into the tent and saw Cao Cao, he saw that Cao Cao was holding a book in his hands. He looked dazed and confused, which was rare. He didn't turn the page for a long time.
It was not until he realized someone was approaching that he suddenly came to his senses and turned the next page as if to cover up something.
Chen Gong couldn't help but laugh and said, "Since you are thinking about philosophy, there is no need to hide it. It is better to speak it out, and perhaps I can give you some advice."
Cao Cao said noncommittally: "I am just thinking about two questions."
Chen Gong said, "I would like to hear the details."
Cao Cao replied: "First, has the Han Dynasty really reached a point of no return?"
Just over half a year ago, he had a brief meeting with Qiao Yan at Hulao Pass.
At that time, he threw the question of whether Qiao Yan had any intention of usurping the throne to her, and she gave a roundabout answer using the art of language.
She also said that she hoped to be a Han official.
But Cao Cao never expected that this sudden change would come so quickly, and the handover of the imperial seal and the throne would be completed in this way.
Qiao Yan did not break her promise to Qiao Xuan, but to the Han people, she was still a rebel!
However, Cao Cao found it difficult to understand why the people in Chang'an under Qiao Yan's rule, who were deeply influenced by the idea that they were the subjects of the Han Dynasty, would so quickly become convinced that neither Liu Yu nor Liu Xie could lead them to the life they dreamed of and allow them to survive in this chaotic world. For this reason, they even supported Qiao Yan to become the emperor.
What he couldn't understand even more was that Lu Zhi, who had fought to protect the emperor during the chaos in Luoyang, could have restrained Qiao Yan's actions as her teacher, but ultimately did not choose such a path and instead stood with the culprit who caused the rise and fall of the kingdom.
Big man... has it really come to the point where you are condemned by everyone and there is no room for maneuver?
Liu Xie, who was willing to plead for the people, must have had the people in his heart. However, his appearance did not seem to change the trend of dynasty change. Instead, he became the one who fanned the flames.
This was as if using a decisive enough tone to completely deny the big man's chance of survival.
The moment Cao Cao learned the news, he felt that something he once held on to was completely shattered.
"I think,……"
Chen Gong had just started to speak when Cao Cao raised his hand to interrupt him.
"Please listen to me first. I have another question."
His eyes finally moved from the page to Chen Gong's face, and then he said: "Gongtai, since I have your support until now, all the matters we discussed have never been delayed to the next day. The tacit understanding between you and me as master and servant has long been famous in Yanzhou."
"But why——"
"You suddenly came to visit Zhang Mengzhuo without informing me?"
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