Chapter 407: Merits and Demerits
If the news of Wang Kuang's escape and the change of ownership of Henei had already dealt Yuan Shao another fatal blow without warning, then Xu You's article was intended to make matters worse.
Back then, Xu You once commented on Qiao Yan's "On Feudalism of Provincial Governors" in Dingzhongguan and said that her analysis of the arguments was quite on point, but the words she used to denounce Liu Yan were not harsh enough. One can imagine what kind of style he had.
Before this article appeared in front of Yuan Shao, he could already imagine how sharply Xu You, whom he had abandoned in such a way, would criticize him in order to avenge the fact that he almost lost his life and was escorted to Chang'an for trial.
But what surprised Yuan Shao was that when he got the sample copy of the monthly magazine distributed by the messenger, there were a few words written on the page written by Xu You.
[A brief biography of Yuan Shao, the great general of the Later Han Dynasty]
Yuan Shao: “…”
The name "Later Han" was apparently created from the perspective of the fall of the Han Dynasty.
But the Yecheng court was still there, and the appearance of such a title made it seem as if Qiao Yan was already sure of victory.
And the so-called biography should appear after a person's death, but it appears here!
This bastard Xu You didn't write any letter of breaking off friendship with Yuan Benchu, or any edict to denounce the Yuan family, but what he wrote was even more sarcastic.
Moreover, think about it, the March issue of Leping Monthly did its best to record the scene of Qiao Yan's enthronement, so the April issue, which has not yet been officially released, referred to the Han Dynasty as the previous dynasty. The irony in this is simply beyond words.
Even though Xu You wrote about Yuan Shao's background and family history at the beginning of the article, described the Runan Yuan family with three generations of officials as "powerful under the heaven", and described Yuan Shao himself as "eminently worthy and majestic", Yuan Shao still had no intention of letting down his guard.
Sure enough, in the second paragraph, Xu You wrote that Yuan Shao had long since foreseen that the world would be in chaos, so he used Bingzhou as a place for the Yuan family of Runan to maintain their wealth and prosperity, and sought the position of Governor of Bingzhou for Zhang Yi.
Unfortunately, Zhang Yi failed to live up to Yuan Shao's expectations during the locust plague in Bingzhou and was brought down by Emperor Dayong.
However, the failure of this move did not affect Yuan Shao's decision to keep the Yuan family of Runan firmly in power.
Taking advantage of the selection of the General Du Liao in the fourth year of Zhongping, Yuan Shao put Han Fu, a representative of Yuan's disciples, into the competition queue and helped him stand out. There are many people like Han Fu among the eight schools in Xiyuan.
[The Yuan family’s immense wealth and power were all due to their planning.] 】
When Emperor Ling was about to die, the Emperor intended to execute General He Jin. Yuan Shao advised the general to summon brave generals and heroes from all over the country to the capital to threaten the emperor. Chen Lin, Zheng Tai and others present refuted his words, but Yuan Shao was even more stubborn in his opinion, saying that Dong Zhuo was not a rebel, but just a common man from Xiliang. How can he advance that? 】
[…Shao and his brothers planned to burn the Northern Palace in Luoyang to force the eunuchs and the princes to flee. They also met with Lu Zhi who led troops to the capital to support them. Shao then helped Dong Zhuo to enter the capital and control the northern army. Lu Zhi was defeated and fled. However, Dong Zhuo caused trouble and Yuan Shao also fled. 】
These words were so objective that Yuan Shao even recalled the situation in Luoyang when Emperor Ling of Han was about to die.
But how could such "facts" be recorded in a newspaper in such a historical style?
When Yuan Shao thought about how many people under Qiao Yan's rule had been enlightened because of the Jijiupian, and how the circulation of this monthly newspaper had reached a very considerable level, he felt as if his eyes were darkening.
In Xu You's description, he did not seem to make any comments on Yuan Shao, but in Xu You's writing, Yuan Shao's advice to He Jin and his help to Dong Zhuo in gaining a foothold in Luoyang were enough to make him infamous for eternity.
And this is just the beginning of what Xu You wrote.
The delaying opportunity in the war against Dong Zhuo and the borrowing of grain from Qiao Yan, the plan to welcome the emperor to Yecheng in order to command the heroes of the world...
Also, the failed battle of Yanzhou.
Xu You did not use any exaggerated words to record how Yuan Shao painted a big pie for the various families, nor did he exaggerate how Yuan Shao made the decision to attack. He just wrote in an unusually calm but sharp tone at the end:
[When the deserters passed by Dingtao City, Cao Ren was ordered to guard the city. Shao was defeated, so he seized Xu You's mount and fled, escaping into the Ji River and returning to Ye City. 】
[What happens in the future is not something I see, so I should not speak carelessly.] 】
[You have a way to live, I have a way to the future, and we owe each other nothing. I use this biography to recount the past without distorting the facts, so that future generations can comment on it. 】
For comments from those who come...
Who's coming? Probably the people who wrote history books in later generations.
Leping Monthly, a widely circulated written medium, can actually be used as historical material for reference in history books.
This sentence is really cruel!
There is no better piece of writing than Xu You's that kills without shedding blood.
When everyone finished reading this article, the place fell into a suffocating silence; even the sound of swallowing saliva was extremely clear.
They also subconsciously focused their eyes on Yuan Shao's face.
Because Yuan Shao took the newspaper back from the messenger, he was not standing at the head of the team facing the emperor, but was facing them, so it was not difficult to see his expression.
His already ugly complexion had turned completely blue, and the veins on his forehead were so tense that they bulged out.
If they were not in the court of Yecheng at this moment, everyone would have doubted whether he would tear the Leping Monthly Report in his hand into two halves in his intense anger.
Unfortunately, Yuan Shao did not have the printing skills that Qiao Yan had, nor did he have the accumulation of monthly newspaper titles that she had laid out over the years, so whether it was the debt repayment issue back then, Tian Feng's undercover agency in Bingzhou, or Xu You's "documentary literature" today, he could not retaliate in a similar way.
What’s even more terrifying is that every single thing Xu You wrote was clearly supported by other witnesses.
No one expected that this strategist who had been a loyal supporter of Yuan Shao for many years would deliver such a fatal blow at this time.
In addition to the confusion about how Yuan Shao would fight back, the people around him were also inevitably suspicious of this great general.
Yuan Shao would not fail to see this silent emotion.
He also knew clearly that if the loss of Yanzhou, Yuzhou and Henei County was the loss he had to face on the front battlefield, then the long article that was given a separate page in the Leping Monthly Report was the confrontation on the side battlefield.
He has already lost the previous game, he must not lose the next one!
Be it his dignity, his position, or the interests of the family he represents, they will never allow him to give up in this already weak situation!
When the raging anger was about to come to his lips, he suddenly suppressed it, turned to the messenger and asked: "Thank you for telling us about the existence of this article. May I ask your name?"
When he said this, Yuan Shao's momentum was inexplicably raised to a higher level, which made people suddenly realize that he had not yet completely discarded his dignity and prestige as a general because of the attack from his opponent.
Yang Biao could not help but frown. If he heard correctly, Yuan Shao's words seemed to mean that he wanted to cause trouble for the envoy and indirectly give Qiao Yan a warning.
But the young man who came to deliver the message seemed to be completely unaware of Yuan Shao's intimidation and coercion, and still maintained a humble and dignified attitude and replied: "I am Liu Ziyang from Huainan. May I ask what advice the general has for me?"
The moment this name was spoken, Yuan Shao's eyes suddenly froze.
Liu Ziyang, Liu Ye?
How could it be him?
Qiao Yan sent most of his men to Yecheng as envoys. Yuan Shao could face the charge of overthrowing the Han Dynasty by the Yong Dynasty without worrying about what means to use to deal with the other party, but people like Liu Ye were not allowed to do so.
Just because he is also a relative of the Han royal family!
Descendants of Liu Yan, son of Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu!
As long as Yuan Shao wanted to support Liu Bian as the emperor and continue to claim to obey the Han Dynasty, he could not touch the bloodline of the Han Dynasty.
What's more, Liu Ye was not an ordinary relative of the Han royal family.
When Xu Shao fled to the south to avoid disaster, he once commented on him as a "talent who can assist the world", which is in no way inferior to the comment that he has the talent to assist the king.
Even though he had never been involved in politics before, if Xu Shao's evaluation were put into practice, it would have given him the aura of a celebrity.
It also made him an existence that Yuan Shao could not touch.
Yuan Shao didn't know that Liu Ye's appearance was because Qiao Yan happened to meet him when he was looking for Xu Shao, and brought him to Luoyang. When Xun Yu received Qiao Yan's order to send someone to thank Yuan Shao three times, Liu Ye took the initiative to volunteer to take on this task.
He only knew that the emotions he had wanted to vent were once again blocked. At this moment, a long-lasting depression in his heart was rushing around, almost filling his throat with a layer of bloody smell.
He tried hard to speak in a calm tone and asked, "Zi Yang is a descendant of the Han royal family, why would he serve the enemy?"
Liu Ye replied: "Mr. Yuan did not argue whether what Mr. Ziyuan wrote was true or false, but asked me why I served the thieves. If this is not a case of putting the cart before the horse, then it seems clear who this thief is, right?"
He bowed to Liu Bian who was sitting at the top of the table and said, "I have already expressed my gratitude. I will not stay here for long. Goodbye."
Yuan Shao stood still like a sculpture.
Liu Ye's words "Who is the thief?" were so heartbreaking.
It was hard for his words not to make the words written by Xu You on the Leping Monthly Report in Yuan Shao's hand flash through his mind again, criticizing him harshly in an even more incisive manner.
So much so that during such a trial, Yuan Shao didn't even have time to send someone to intercept Liu Ye.
It was not until after the court was dismissed, when he was supported on the way back to the General's Mansion, that Yuan Shao was able to barely break free from his slightly dazed mood.
Guo Tu took advantage of this moment to ask, "In your opinion, should we arrest Xu You's family and put him in jail to investigate his crime?"
There were quite a few relatives of Xu You who were openly questioned.
Xu You was greedy, and not only him, but his relatives were also greedy.
But Yuan Shao was in no mood to pursue the matter!
Everyone will also be watching his reaction after receiving the text from Xu You.
The fact that he was speechless when faced with Liu Ye's questions in the court did not mean that he would completely admit to the charges.
But if he had captured Xu You's family immediately after being stabbed in the back, I'm afraid everyone would have thought that this was an act of anger and shame after his weaknesses were exposed.
He glared at Guo Tu and replied, "Don't worry about Xu You's bastard family, but don't even think about asking him to come and pick up his family unless he comes in person!"
But why would Xu You, after completely offending Yuan Shao, make such a suicidal move as returning to Yecheng?
"And don't look for Wang Gongjie anymore." Yuan Shao said word by word.
Before today, Yuan Shao really didn't know that among Cao Cao's soldiers approaching Pingqiu City, there were actually people from Henei County. And because of the change of ownership of Yanzhou, Wang Kuang chose to flee in fear.
But only now did he realize what use this news was!
Wang Kuang's dereliction of duty had forced Zhang He and Xin Pi to surrender to the enemy in order to survive while they were isolated and helpless!
It also became a handle for Liu Ye, as an envoy, to humiliate Yuan Shao!
What's the point of looking for Wang Kuang again? Do we have to hold him accountable after finding him, so that there can be someone to blame for the loss of Hanoi?
Looking at the situation of confrontation between the two sides, this move is really no different from asking for humiliation!
Instead of doing this kind of meaningless thing, it would be better to send more garrisons to the border between Wei County and Henei County, and at the same time...
"Tell Chen Kongzhang that the manifesto I want must appear in front of me within three days!"
As early as when the news of Qiao Yan's ascension to the throne reached Yecheng, Yuan Shao had already given him this order, and even said during Liu Bian's gathering that he would make sure that Liu Bian would have more prestige and momentum with the words written by Chen Lin to denounce Qiao Yan.
However, due to his previous trip to Yanzhou, he inevitably neglected to pay attention to this matter.
But we can’t delay any longer!
"Three days..." Chen Lin murmured after receiving the message.
With Chen Lin's talent for writing beautiful articles in his heart, it would not take him three days to write a manifesto.
He just couldn't help but think of Xu You's article at this moment.
It was indeed Yuan Shao who proposed the suggestion of inviting the warlords from all directions to the capital. At that time, he also argued that "there is no danger if the deer are captured". Unfortunately, Yuan Shao's weight in He Jin's heart was obviously much heavier than theirs, so there was no way he could persuade him to change his decision.
Recalling the past now, I feel that this kind of self-deceiving behavior had already shown signs back then.
As soon as he thought of this, the hand holding the pen began to tremble.
A drop of ink immediately spread out on the paper in front of him.
"No, you can't think like that."
Since he still stood on Yuan Shao's side and believed that the Han Dynasty still had the possibility of revival, he should not have had such doubts when writing the manifesto.
If he allowed such emotions to interfere with his writing, what a weird answer he would hand in!
He reached out and crumpled the paper in front of him and threw it into the trash can beside him.
Looking at the clean paper in front of him, he paused for a long time before putting down the pen in his hand.
At that moment in Chang'an City, compared to Chen Lin's hesitation in writing, Qiao Yan wrote the letter of appointment to the person who had recently surrendered, very quickly.
Whether it was seizing Yanzhou, persuading Cao Cao to surrender, or taking over Henei and recovering Zhang He, although there were some unexpected factors interfering behind it, making the process not completely predictable by Qiao Yan, the process of pacifying the world was already inevitable.
She had already thought about the arrangements for Cao Cao and his subordinate advisers, as well as the arrangements for Zhang He.
Yesterday she discussed the matter with Cheng Yu and finally finalized it.
Since Zhang He was once a subordinate of Yuan Shao, it was inevitably inappropriate to let him fight against his old master. This was different from the situation when Xu Rong was directly involved in the battle against Dong Zhuo. Therefore, there was no need to let Zhang He participate in the battle against Yuan Shao.
But if the other party works for her, she must give him corresponding tasks to show that she values him.
In history, after Zhang He defected from Yuan Shao to Cao Cao in the Battle of Guandu, he was able to become one of the five best generals of Cao Wei. He was by no means an ordinary general. It's a pity that Yuan Shao failed to dominate four states as in history and failed to conquer Youzhou in the north, which deprived Zhang He of a lot of experience in battles. Now that he is in his hands, he can't continue to bury him.
Qiao Yan wrote down two commissions, and he could choose one of them.
One was to appoint him as the Dingxi Colonel, because Lu Yuan had been commissioned by her to reopen the Western Regions Protectorate and was short of a general, so Zhang He just filled the vacancy.
The reason why this position is vacant is that Ma Teng, who previously served as the prefect of Zhangye, was as eager to survive as Liu Biao of Jingzhou.
After hearing the news of Qiao Yan's ascension to the throne, Liu Biao requested to be transferred from the post of Governor of Jingzhou to the post of Governor of Jingzhou in order to unify the situation with other states. Ma Teng requested to resign from the position of Prefect of Zhangye and enter the court to serve as an official in the capital to retire.
A few days ago, Qiao Yan approved this decision and ordered Ma Teng's nephew Ma Dai to continue serving under Xu Rong.
It is obviously feasible to dispatch Zhang He here to fill the military vacancy left by Ma Teng's departure.
The other was to order him to join the Liaodong battlefield, and after the military and civilians of Liaodong and Xuantu counties were united, he would launch an expedition to attack Goguryeo and Buyeo.
It is still unknown whether the master-servant relationship established by Gongsun Du with Buyeo and Goguryeo after he took office as the prefect of Liaodong could continue to be maintained after the dynasty changed from the Han Dynasty to the Yong Dynasty.
Instead of hoping that they can have the same awareness as Liu Biao and Ma Teng, it is better to launch a military expedition at the right time and completely take back this land, which should be considered part of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Inner Mongolia in modern times.
As a northern general, it was obviously easier for Zhang He to adapt to such an environment than for others.
Either of these two options would be accompanied by foreseeable military achievements, and would not be considered too harsh for Zhang He.
As for Xin Pi, who had already expressed his intention to surrender, it would be better for him to stay in Chang'an for the time being.
Xin Pi had surrendered, but Xin Ping was still under Yuan Shao's command.
Although the current situation is different from Tian Feng's situation at that time, Yuan Shao must not punish Xin Pi for being "forced" to surrender to the enemy when faced with this crisis, which would cause his morale, which had already begun to collapse under the blow of Xu You, to be severely damaged again. It would be better for Xin Pi not to act as a military advisor blatantly.
Anyway, the selection of scholars for the Hongwenguan in Chang'an City is still in preparation, and Xin Pi, who was originally an enemy strategist, is more suitable to be a question setter than most people.
When the world is unified, there will be places for conquest throughout the world, and there will be no shortage of places for him to use his military might.
Then came Cao Cao and his subordinates.
The reckoning of the crimes of Chen Gong and those Yanzhou noble families has been carried out under the leadership of Qiao Ting and the supervision of Huang Wan. Since Chen Gong was unwilling to be loyal to her and change his understanding of the moral relationship between the monarch and his subjects, Qiao Yan could only fulfill his idea of sacrificing his life for the cause.
After all, the fact that Cao Cao and his clan, as well as subordinates such as Man Chong, Zao Zhi, Le Jin, and Zhong Yao were successfully recruited under her command was already a huge fortune.
Zao Zhi, the captain of the military farm in Yanzhou, could work together with Tian Chou under Qin Yu, the Minister of Agriculture, to make preparations in advance for the severe natural disasters that may occur next year.
Man Chong's decisive and analytical ability in this Yanzhou incident was particularly surprising. Because Yuan Huan was not suitable for the position of Yuzhou Governor, Qiao Yan actually preferred Man Chong to take the position.
However, Man Chong's age and resume inevitably made people question whether he could hold on to this position, so he was first transferred to the command of the Supreme Court as a subordinate official, and then trained for two years before being sent out.
As for Zhong Yao, who was also a civil servant, Qiao Yan intended to order him to go south to Jingzhou to assist Liu Biao in rectifying the affairs in Jingzhou and dilute the influence of the Jingzhou families.
As Cao Cao had guessed before, Cao Hong, Cao Ren, Cao Chun, Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan, who are members of Cao Cao's clan, will be assigned to various states to supplement the garrison forces. The remaining people such as Le Jin, Yu Jin, Li Gan and Li Dian will assist Guo Jia and Yuan Huan, who was transferred to be the deputy governor of Yanzhou, to complete the defense of Yanzhou.
Finally, it was Cao Cao's arrangement.
Qiao Yan picked up his pen and wrote the last line of words on the imperial edict:
[He was appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry for suppressing the rebellion, but was removed from his post when there was no war. He stationed his troops in Henei. The Marquis ordered his troops to advance into Jizhou. 】
It was not the General of the Western Expedition in "It's not too late to conquer the west" that she asked Guo Jia and Cao Cao to say, nor was it the General of the Eastern Expedition that Qiao Yan mentioned jokingly during the meeting in Chen Ting that year, but the official position that Cao Cao held in the court in Yecheng.
General of Chariots and Cavalry!
For a surrendered general, this is an absolutely high position!
But this does not mean that Qiao Yan intends to allow everyone in the court of Yecheng to continue their original positions when they switch to her side. If this is true, the situation in the court will be in chaos when Yecheng is captured.
The sentence "except in times of peace" already conceals Qiao Yan's second attitude.
She still has some tests for Cao Cao.
The General of Chariots and Cavalry was in charge of conquering rebels, and if it weren't for the turbulent environment at the end of the Han Dynasty, it wouldn't have been a permanent military position. Now she simply restored its original rules and only made appointments when there was a specific war.
In times of peace, where it is placed depends on Cao Cao's performance.
After hearing about her arrangement, Cheng Yu asked her why she didn't mind putting Cao Cao in the position to attack Jizhou.
This military achievement of conquering the last two states in the world will undoubtedly give Cao Cao more capital to gain a foothold in the court of Dayong.
This is what Qiao Yan replied to this.
She was confident that Yanzhou might be more inclined to Cao Cao's Yanzhou, but the people of Dayong who sent her to the throne of the emperor were inclined towards her, Qiao Yan.
If she didn't even have the confidence to let Cao Cao go to the battlefield, why would she let Guo Jia use words like "heroes appreciate heroes" to persuade Cao Cao to surrender!
In this final battle to unify the world, she was not afraid of anyone watching.
Because the first step to attack the royal court of Yecheng must be taken by her personally!
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