Chapter 412: Invitation from Chang'an
Yuan Shao had never been more aware than at this moment that Qiao Yan's momentum was closing in on him.
What kind of scene did she look like when she ascended the throne in Chang'an and was supported by millions of people? In the absence of live broadcast of the scene and no painter who can reproduce the divine appearance, the text transmitted to Yecheng always lacks a sense of reality.
But this overwhelming criticism has completely revealed it.
Those were no longer simple records, but sharp knives directed at Yuan Shao from the standpoint of the Yong Dynasty court. In the face of Wang Can's comment that "none of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness is consistent with him", all the gorgeous clothes and crowns that Yuan Shao had worn for many years were completely pierced through.
The previous March supplement was able to be published with such efficiency and quantity that the manuscripts responding to the Han Dynasty's manifesto filled the Chang'an treasury. Then, the promotion of this collection today would be a carnival for all the people and a sign of their desire to seize Jizhou!
One wrong step leads to all wrong.
The gap that had accumulated from the beginning had now drawn a deep gully between Dayong and the Han Dynasty, and pushed Yuan Shao down to fill the gap between the successive dynasties.
When even the reputation of the Yuan family of Runan was greatly damaged because of the accusation of brothers fighting each other, what can he rely on?
Was it his subordinates who had already left him one after another, his soldiers who had died in battle one after another, or the Han emperor who had not shown any aura of an emperor until this day?
Even if Yuan Shao had a body of iron, he would not be able to withstand such direct questioning.
The blood that had been choking him since he received the news that the three Xies and Hanoi had changed their masters was finally not swallowed by him.
"I've said it before! With the general's current health, he really can't be bullied anymore." The imperial physician was urgently dragged to Yuan Shao's bedside. Seeing that his subordinates and son were staring at him with earnest eyes, he said helplessly.
It is indeed not uncommon for patients not to follow doctor's orders. Given Yuan Shao's status, it is obviously difficult for him to have a quiet enough environment for meditation at this time. However, such ups and downs in emotions are harmful to the body, and it is difficult for them, the doctors.
"Stop making alarmist remarks here. It's because of your lack of ability that my father's illness caused by all the hard work and fatigue could not be cured in time." Yuan Shang interrupted the man before he could finish speaking and shouted.
"..." The imperial physician felt like he didn't want to do his job anymore after hearing this.
Everyone in this world who is engaged in this field knows that the best doctors are naturally in the Chiyang Medical College north of Chang'an. The ones in Yecheng are indeed inferior to them.
Due to the limitations of their medical experience and the loss of their medical books and records during the Dong Zhuo Rebellion in their early years, their progress was limited.
But if you want to invite someone else, you have to be able to invite that person first, right?
Just look at the current hostile situation between the two sides and you will know that they are the only doctors Yuan Shao can hire.
"Alright, can you please stop talking?" Yuan Xi shouted at Yuan Shang in a rare strong tone, "Do you think we want to see our father in this situation? If we continue to delay time because of this dispute, who will be responsible then?"
Yuan Shang stopped talking reluctantly, but still muttered "You are the only one who knows how to be a good person" before walking aside.
The imperial physician's hasty diagnosis of his father made it difficult for him not to feel a sense of imminent crisis.
No one can be sure whether the father can recover to his previous healthy state after facing such repeated stimulation. So what should they, the sons, do then?
Yuan Shang knew very well that he was not as capable as his father. Even his father had a hard time dealing with this opponent, so there was no way he could be a match for the other party. Once the umbrella of protection above his head disappeared, he would have no choice but to leave his hometown.
And if it really came to this, he would of course have to prepare enough armed forces to protect himself.
The best thing would be to inherit his father's subordinates.
You have to know that his eldest brother Yuan Tan had been adopted by his father to his deceased eldest brother Yuan Ji, so he had no legal capital to compete with him. His only opponent was -
Only Yuan Xi!
Probably no one present, except Guo Tu, who knew more or less what Yuan Shang was thinking and discovered Yuan Shang's current plan, had expected that when Yuan Shao was in such a critical situation, Yuan Shang was still considering eliminating dissidents and seeking more benefits by relying on his position with Yuan Shao.
Even Liu Bian, who had received the imperial physician's order and returned to report, asked at this time, "In your opinion, is General Yuan still able to command the war and supervise government affairs?"
Liu Bian didn't care about the conflicts in Yuan Shao's family, nor did he care about what accusations were made against Yuan Shao in the manifesto published in Leping Monthly.
What scared him even more was that if Yuan Shao became ill or even died of anger because of this incident, what means would he, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, have to use to resist the approaching fierce attack from Dayong?
With Yuan Shao in front, issuing orders on behalf of the emperor, he could also attract the attention of most people. This is why the focus of today's manifesto is on Yuan Shao.
With Yuan Shao helping him to solve his problems, he could temporarily forget the fact that the enemy could capture Ye City at any time, and temporarily let the military reports on the battles at various passes remain on other people's desks.
But if Yuan Shao fell...
Liu Bian couldn't even imagine such a scene.
Facing Liu Bian's anxious questioning, the Imperial Physician knew that the Emperor might not be asking such a question out of genuine concern for his subordinates. He tried his best to prevent the cold sweat from breaking out on his forehead due to nervousness, and replied, "At least not within a month or two, right?"
One or two months?
When he heard this answer, Liu Bian felt like his brain was about to explode.
At first, the Leping Monthly Report was indeed only delivered to Yuan Shao, but at this point, it was impossible for Liu Bian, who had learned the news, not to ask about it, and it finally arrived in front of him.
It was not difficult for him to understand Yuan Shao's feelings at the moment.
But being able to understand is one thing, being able to accept is another.
Look at what happened in the last month or two.
First, Qiao Yan ascended the throne, and then Yuan Shao suffered a great loss in Yuzhou and Yanzhou. Not only did he lose the territory, but even Cao Cao was pushed to Qiao Yan's side. Then Hanoi was lost, Wang Kuang defected, Zhang He and Xin Pi surrendered to the enemy, and the subsequent manifesto did not achieve the result that Yuan Shao had promised him, but instead brought about a torrential blow from the other side.
If another month or two were given, would the last two states of the Han Dynasty also change hands?
Two months is enough time for Qiao Yan to do a lot of things!
Liu Bian knew that there was no benefit in pressing Yuan Shao too hard at this moment. If he really pushed him into a desperate situation, it would be troublesome for him. So he left the table in a hurry to relieve his tension, and asked someone to bring Kong Rong and Guo Tu to him.
There were not many subordinates Liu Bian could trust who would not surrender to the enemy at this moment, and those who could give him advice were screened out again.
In his opinion, those who had joined the army because of his previous anti-rebel manifesto would not change their stance in a hurry.
It is obvious that Kong Rong's performance was not because Yuan Shao had any ability to fight against Qiao Yan, but because he, Liu Bian, was the emperor of the Han Dynasty.
So whether Yuan Shao conforms to the Five Constant Virtues of Confucianism is not something Kong Rong needs to care about.
Kong Rong, who once served as the prefect of Beihai, not only carried the reputation of a descendant of the Kong family, but also had the reputation of hiding Zhang Jian during the Party-Faction Persecution, had a record of mediating with the Yellow Turban Army, and had experience in governing a region. If Yuan Shao had not been the one who truly controlled the government of Yecheng, Liu Bian would have wanted to promote Kong Rong even further.
Now that Yuan Shao has fallen, Liu Bian inevitably thinks of the other party.
But he certainly couldn't do anything to abandon the donkey at this time. On Yuan Shao's side, he not only had to take care of his condition, but also had to seek advice from his subordinates and son.
Since Ju Shou, Xin Ping and others were not in Yecheng, Liu Bian could only invite Guo Tu first.
I don’t know if it was a coincidence, but when Kong Rong and Guo Tu arrived, they met each other outside the palace gate.
Guo Tu felt something was wrong when he saw that Kong Rong was being rather rude to him, as if he was harboring some disdain for him.
Sure enough, when Guo Tu heard Liu Bian asking who would take over the affairs of General Yuan during his illness, he heard Kong Rong reply: "At this time, hastily changing the arrangements of the General's Office for various parties will lead to disaster. Changing generals in the middle of a battle is a taboo in the world. Therefore, in my opinion, it is better for the son of the general to take over the affairs, coordinate the instructions of various parties, and command from the center."
"The order of seniority is the ancient etiquette. Since the general's eldest son is still in Qingzhou, the soldiers in Xuzhou in the south should be temporarily in charge of military affairs by the second son."
Guo Tu's eyelids twitched involuntarily.
Long before this, because Yuan Shao was closer to Yuan Shang, he had already chosen his side, which was why he had contact with Yuan Shang many times. If the second son Yuan Xi were to take power because of this sudden incident and then legitimately take over Yuan Shao's power bit by bit, even though Yuan Xi has always given people the impression of being good-tempered and fair, Guo Tu would not be able to feel at ease at this time.
What Kong Rong said was true. Thinking about the legend of him giving away pears to his parents when he was a child, it is not difficult to understand why he said this. However, when this sentence appeared at this time, it really made Guo Tu secretly hate him.
"What do you think of this decision, Mr. Gongze?"
Hearing Liu Bian suddenly turn to him and ask this question, Guo Tu quickly replied: "In my opinion, it is not appropriate for the Second Young Master to be in power. Back then, the General ordered the Second Young Master to go to Chang'an to gather information. The Second Young Master was young and ignorant, and was deceived by Qiao Yan and Tian Feng. The General invested a lot of money but got nothing in return, which is what the other party criticized in their reply today. With the Second Young Master's experience and vision, if we rashly let him temporarily take over the position of the General, there is no guarantee that he will not be deceived again."
Liu Bian nodded thoughtfully. What he said made sense.
Guo Tu continued, "As the saying goes, when brothers are of one mind, they can break metal. The monthly report accuses the Yuan family of Runan of having three brothers of the same generation of generals fighting each other, and then the general's sons fighting each other. Why don't we let the three of them each guard one side? This will not only dispel the rumors and restore the momentum, but also allow any side to turn around and make arrangements as soon as possible if they are attacked and attacked, and to fight the enemy with all their strength?"
"Right now we have Lord Ju and the leader in the north, so we don't have to worry too much. But the Bingzhou army north of Taihang Mountain in the west is eyeing us covetously, and the armies of Henei and Yanzhou in the south are also approaching. We should have one commander to supervise the battle."
"The Second Young Master is careful and will be able to defend the narrow passes on all sides. The Third Young Master is bold and will be able to intimidate the enemy with the momentum of a head-on confrontation."
Of course, Guo Tu did not propose this arrangement casually.
The commander stationed on the southern front line would be closer to Yecheng. If something irreversible really happened...
No, now is not the time to think about it.
In short, it is always a good idea to first avoid tilting power towards one side only.
Kong Rong frowned, but what he said was not a refutation of Guo Tu's suggestion, but -
"What about the reply letter?"
Guo Tu: “…”
To be honest, he didn't want more people to see the thing that completely stripped Yuan Shao of his reputation.
But Kong Rong obviously couldn't hide it.
While the court in Yecheng was scrambling to clean up the chaos after Yuan Shao's fall and trying to restrict the flow of Leping Monthly Reports into the country through various means, Qiao Yan had already calmly begun to issue subsequent orders.
"Your Majesty, isn't it time to use the current advantage to storm Jizhou?" The three ministers summoned by Qiao Yan to discuss matters were all shocked when they received her arrangement.
"You all know how quickly news spreads. As soon as the April edition of Leping Monthly was released in Chang'an, the people responded in many ways. However, in Jizhou and Qingzhou, they still know that they are the people of the Han Dynasty, not the people of Dayong."
"Since a Jedi counterattack at the time of the dynasty's fall is bound to be the most astonishing, why not wait a few more months for the information to ferment and for water to wear away the stone?"
Qiao Yan sighed, "In addition, Zhongxuan wrote in "Answering the Old Farmer's Questions" that he didn't know where he would die, so how could he complete both? This scene was not only caused by the war, but also by the drought in the third and fourth years of Jian'an. This year's rare good weather should not be wasted."
During a battle, no matter how well the attack route is planned, it is difficult to completely avoid the fields of these people. Once the damage is done, it will not be possible to recover this year.
The newly acquired Yanzhou and Yuzhou would also require several months to govern, in order to prevent opposition voices from arising somewhere and causing unrest.
So of course she could wait!
Even though it is possible that Yuan Shao's health would recover after waiting for a few months, the gaps that had already become increasingly obvious could never be made up in such a period of time.
Comparing her age with Yuan Shao's, she was never the one who couldn't wait.
"I am not a warmongerer. There is no need to keep my soldiers on the move for even a moment."
But she suddenly looked stern when she said this, "However, not attacking at this time does not mean that we will do nothing."
"On the northern Youzhou front, I plan to let Lu Fengxian continue to act according to the previous plan. The personnel who will go north to Jiaozhou to supervise the completion of the Funan large ship are also in place. It may be completed before August and head north to Youzhou."
"I have also sent a letter to Jia Wenhe, asking him to make plans to attack Qingzhou."
Of course, to be precise, this is what was written in the letter that Qiao Yan wrote to Jia Xu.
Guo Jia's position as the Governor of Yanzhou has gone from an empty title to a position that matches the name. Should Jia Xu's position as the Governor of Qingzhou also take some action?
Regardless of what Jia Xu thought when he received this letter to spur his subordinates on, the troops originally stationed in Xuzhou preparing to march north to Qingzhou probably would not be able to sit still.
"In addition, the farming affairs of each state must not be relaxed. The inspectors sent from the court will conduct strict inspections impartially. If there are people who try to take advantage of the situation, they will establish the rules of our Dayong."
"also--"
Qiao Yan paused for a moment before speaking: "Please ask all the representatives of the noble families in Yuzhou, Jingzhou, and Sili to come to Chang'an."
She has already liquidated the aristocratic families in Liangzhou, Yanzhou and Yangzhou. Bingzhou has never been out of her control. There is no need to worry about Xuzhou for the time being as Chen Deng is loyal to her. There are very few places like Jiaozhou, Yizhou and Youzhou that can truly be called aristocratic families. The only ones left are Yuzhou, Jingzhou and Sili!
In the face of a situation that is approaching the unification of the world, and in the face of several references of killing the chicken to scare the monkeys -
These people can no longer just give her a half-hearted answer!
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