Chapter 419: Control...
Even though Cao Cao felt that he had experienced many ups and downs, he was still stunned when he heard Yuan Shang's answer.
The weather is too hot, needs some ice to cool him down?
He subconsciously looked at Wei Yan, Cao Ang and others who were present. From the confused expressions of everyone present, Cao Cao could be completely sure that he was not hard of hearing.
What he heard was what Yuan Shang said.
After realizing this, the moment Cao Cao's gaze fell back on Yuan Shang's face, there was a hint of subtle... sympathy in it.
It is not that we sympathize with Yuan Shang for having to face the tragic situation of being captured by the enemy at a "young age" or even the destruction of his country and family, but that we sympathize with Yuan Shao for raising such a son and even having to send him out because there was no one else available, thus embarrassing him in front of Cao Cao.
He could not win face for the Yuan family of Runan, show enough courage and wisdom in the battle between the two armies, or even show some integrity after being captured. Instead, he ended the battle of Henei with such a ridiculous statement. Cao Cao didn't know what to say in response to Yuan Shang.
This is indeed a far more shocking statement than simply begging for mercy.
If Cao Cao had not seen with his own eyes what kind of protection Yuan Shang received during the confrontation between the two armies, and with the help of the telescope, he could see from his chariot how Yuan Shang was captured by Wei Yan. He would have suspected that they had accidentally captured the wrong person and let someone who was not Yuan Shao's son take the blame.
Speaking of which, what was Yuan Shao doing when he was Yuan Shang's age?
Although these children of noble families all had a somewhat absurd past, Yuan Shao was originally a talent cultivated by the Yuan family of Runan to become a party leader. He had already learned the method of building up a reputation and building up a reputation. At least he behaved like a decent person in public, which was nothing like Yuan Shang at the moment...
I am afraid that this sentence "When it is too hot, one needs ice" would become a joke spread all over the world at this time when the Han Dynasty regime in Jizhou and Qingzhou is about to collapse, even if Cao Cao did not deliberately publicize it.
"When we were suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion, I heard Sun Wentai and Fu Nanrong say that if we had a son, we should be like Qiao Yeshu. Now it seems that we didn't take the Runan Yuan family as an example just because they were at their peak and Yuan Benchu and Yuan Gonglu were rampant. I think we had good vision."
After Yuan Shang was escorted away, Wei Yan, who had won military merit, retreated contentedly. Cao Ang then heard his father say this.
"Father shouldn't have such ambitious goals now, right?" Perhaps because their current situation had turned from dangerous to safe, Cao Ang had some leisure time and asked jokingly.
It's not to mention that in the past, the sentence "If I have a son, I hope he will be like Qiao Yeshu" could be said to encourage Fu Gan, Sun Ce and others to learn from Qiao Yan. Even when Qiao Yan was still the Grand Marshal, this sentence could still be said. But when Qiao Yan was the emperor, if this sentence was really said, it would inevitably have a sense of treason.
What does the person who said this want to do? Will you give birth to someone who can change the dynasty?
Cao Cao shook his head and laughed: "That's right, it's time to change it. Maybe it will become... not reborn as a boy but reborn as a girl."
Qiao Yan's move to promote the Nine Ministers, especially the fact that four of them were occupied by women, had already been communicated to all parties during the three months of fermentation.
Lu Yuan, Yao Chang, Lu Lingju, Ren Hong, who were not among the Nine Ministers but each held an important position, all showed the emperor's tendency to use female officials.
Although the emperor today selects talented people based on their talent and character, this special signal still makes people see the opportunity to expand the recruitment of female officials. On the one hand, they were worried that their official positions would be replaced by female officials who came later. On the other hand, they felt that their daughters might have more potential than their sons to stand out in front of the emperor and become the ones who would seek wealth and power for the family.
Cao Cao was not sure what this change in tendency would eventually become.
In short, he is now facing the impact of this change.
Cao Cao felt overwhelmed when he thought that his wife, who had just arrived in Chang'an, had been appointed to assist the Shaofu in his work because of her performance in Puyang, and that she was in charge of the work.
"Forget it, let's not talk about this." Let's think of something happy. After all, at most he will be an official in the same court with his wife, which is not a big deal. "Did you see what happened to Yuan Xianfu just now?"
"What else does father want to say?"
Cao Cao thought for a moment and said, "Send a letter to Yuan Benchu for me, saying that I used to suspect that Yuan Gonglu's statement that Shao was not a Yuan family member might be true. But after seeing Yuan Xianfu's performance today, I know that Yuan Benchu is good at whitewashing himself, and his son is still too young, so he doesn't have this ability. Now he has shown his true colors, and he has the momentum of the fierce ghost on the road in the past. From this point of view, Gonglu must have said it in anger, and Benchu has also relied on his son to clear his suspicion. Very good!"
Cao Ang: “…”
When these words were sent to Yecheng, combined with Yuan Shang's performance after being captured and the bombardment of manifestos, it was difficult to tell which one caused greater stimulation to Yuan Shao.
Cao Ang now realized that his father was a man who still held a grudge and would always find an opportunity to get his revenge.
In the previous Yanzhou Incident, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were obviously old acquaintances, and they had not really parted ways at that time. However, he still did not hesitate to go to Yanzhou in person to finish off Cao Cao at the moment when he could kill him and take back Yanzhou. This was certainly considered a grudge for Cao Cao.
Now I am just taking revenge in this bloodless way.
Cao Ang was silent for a moment, but still replied to Cao Cao: "I will write it now. If Yuan Benchu intends to exchange his son back, it is a good time to give an explanation."
Although Yuan Shao's defeat is obvious, and everything in Jizhou will sooner or later become the property of their Emperor Dayong, I think His Majesty would not mind asking Yuan Shao first whether he is willing to bleed again before the autumn harvest, make another joke, and lose the hearts of the people of Jizhou again!
Just as Cao Ang was about to take his leave, he heard Cao Cao say, "Let me add one more sentence to the letter. Now it seems that sending our son to Leping to study as soon as possible does not mean that he will be held hostage. Even if he can only become a person who is roughly literate, it is better than someone who speaks famous words like Yuan Xianfu."
Cao Pi, who was sent to Leping Academy by Cao Cao in his early years, is ten years old this year. He has not yet graduated from studying with Cai Yong.
If Cao Cao and Qiao Yan were still in opposition to each other before, he might have been worried about Cao Pi's situation and imagined that the father and son might meet on the battlefield in the future. But now he doesn't have to worry about that.
Compared to Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi and others who had already achieved military exploits far beyond their peers in the wars in Liaodong and Jibei, Cao Pi was still concentrating on studying with his friend Lu Ji, who was of the same age, and Cao Cao did not feel there was anything to regret.
Having more people in the family who want to become generals may not necessarily be a good thing, especially when they have already pledged allegiance to an emperor who is about to rule the world.
Just like it is now.
Cao Zhi, who was only five years old this year, had already shown his extraordinary literary talent under Cao Cao's tutelage, and it was just right for him to accompany his brother.
With Cao Ang, the leader of the younger generation in the family, Cao Cao did not have to worry about these sons causing the same dispute over succession as Yuan Shao had.
This letter sent from Hanoi arrived in Yecheng almost at the same time as the news of Yuan Shang's defeat and capture.
Yuan Shao stared at the battle report and reply letter in front of him. He could hardly believe that his most beloved son would give him such a surprise at this time!
Seeing his wife, who had received the news, running to him and crying and begging him to rescue their son as soon as possible, and thinking that this farce was caused by that bastard Yuan Shang who had taken the initiative to send troops, Yuan Shao could not muster any sympathy for him. The only thing left was a rising anger at hearing that Yuan Shang had caused such a disaster and ruined his reinforcements, and had also put his shameful performance in front of outsiders.
"Why are you crying? He thinks he is more powerful than me, right? He thinks he can defeat Cao Cao with the troops under his command. Even if Cao Cao has lost many of his subordinates and half of his military power, he is still the opposing General of Chariots and Cavalry!"
"Who is Yuan Xianfu?"
Yuan Shang was able to have his current status not because he could assist Cao Cao in supervising military affairs like Cao Ang, but simply because he was Yuan Shao’s son.
Yuan Shao was already having a splitting headache because he could not give Liu Bian an explanation for the advancement of the northern front. Madam Liu's crying made him even more upset. Yuan Shao could not help but said angrily: "Instead of crying for him, you might as well prepare burial objects for us first! It is said that loving mothers often spoil their children. It is true!"
"A loving mother often spoils her child?" Madam Liu stopped crying and angrily asked, "Who was it that brought Shang'er with you when he was still in Yecheng and asked him to listen in on your discussions with your subordinates? Who was it that lingered by his bedside because he was sick and was afraid that something might happen to him?"
It’s Yuan Shao!
"I have repeatedly compared him with my elder and second brothers. Who do you think is the most similar to me? Who gave him status and authority, and thought he had the ability to turn the tide?"
It’s still Yuan Shao!
"Shang'er is in this trouble today, all because of you, as his father. Even if I am also wrong, you should also bear the blame for not knowing people well!"
After she finished speaking, she turned away, knowing that it was impossible to ask Yuan Shao to rescue Yuan Shang, leaving Yuan Shao where he was, deep in thought.
Yes, you don’t know how to judge people!
He thought Yuan Shang was a genius with good character and appearance, similar to himself, but he never realized that he himself was just a person with great ambitions but little talent.
Not only did he fail to judge people by their appearance when choosing one of his sons as his successor, he also made the mistake of judging people by their appearance. The same was true when it came to promoting and appointing his subordinates!
How can people like Feng Ji and Guo Tu compare with those who are good at planning and governing? How long can Yan Liang, Wen Chou and others last against those top generals?
It is extremely sad that he currently has such a shortage of generals and counselors. But looking at the vast area of Qingzhou and Jizhou, is there really such a shortage of talent?
If he had not been unwilling to look down and listen to all sides when recruiting talents, and had only thought that he could attract a steady stream of talents by relying on his status as a third-generation official, he would never have ended up in the situation today where he can only sit in Yecheng and wait to die.
However, realizing this fact only now was like Yuan Shang feeling fear when he saw the gunpowder explosion and the elephant soldiers charging. There was really no difference.
There is no chance of recovery for him!
Guo Tu, who came from a noble Yingchuan family, had been trying to find a way out of the prison of Yecheng when Yuan Shao was unable to control his actions. Feng Ji was also not from the north but from Nanyang, and he also began to secretly contact people for retreat.
There were people in Yecheng who behaved like this perhaps as early as several months ago, but in the past two days, these people have become more and more obvious about it, and they don't even care about exposing it in front of Yuan Shao.
However, Yuan Shao could not take punitive measures to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys against "some" of these people at this time, and could only allow them to take actions with the intention of prying open the country's door.
On the contrary, the famous Hebei scholars such as Ju Shou and Shen Pei, who had been much suspected by him for many years, could have surrendered to the enemy after being captured, but they did not make any concessions to Qiao Yan at this time. Instead, they retreated to Xiaquyang to prevent the soldiers who had invaded Beiping County from moving south and breaking into Anping with the help of the wealthy merchants in Zhongshan. They also retreated to the south of Hutuo River and re-established a boundary formed by terrain barriers to intercept the enemy troops moving south from Bohai and Hejian County.
Yuan Shao didn't know how long this line of defense could last. Perhaps...
Just when Yuan Shao was thinking of this, he received a hasty report from the eunuch that the emperor invited him to the palace to discuss matters.
At this moment, Yuan Shao suddenly felt as if he had returned to the time when he was in Luoyang. However, the general at that time was He Jin, not him, and the emperor of the Han Dynasty at that time was still Liu Hong, not Liu Bian. The invitation to enter the palace ended up costing He Jin his life. Today, it is not impossible to imitate the old things.
But Yuan Shao quickly laughed at himself, saying that Liu Bian did not have the courage to burn his boats.
Before supporting Liu Bian to ascend the throne, he had already seen through Liu Bian's character and nature.
He is indeed not as like the late emperor as Liu Xie, at least not in terms of decisiveness!
Liu Bian should also be very clear that if he attacked Yuan Shao at this time, he would never have the opportunity to apologize to Qiao Yan.
She had already been kind to Liu Xie and Liu Yu, so she didn't need another symbol to show her kindness.
"General?" The eunuch asked hurriedly when he saw Yuan Shao stop for a moment.
"Let's go. Since His Majesty has something important to discuss, I should go and see him."
Yuan Shao set out to follow him.
Although he still had some mobility problems, he did not need to rely on a wheelchair to move around after resting for a while. When he appeared in front of Liu Bian, he could still vaguely show some of his early aura.
But when Liu Bian opened his mouth, Yuan Shao's expression changed, "We can't stay in Yecheng anymore, I want to move the capital! No..."
"This may not be called moving the capital, but I want to leave this place! Now!"
Seeing that Liu Bian seemed to just want to inform him and was about to leave the next moment, Yuan Shao grabbed his shoulder and said, "Your Majesty, calm down!"
"Calm down? How do you want me to calm down?" Liu Bian suddenly raised his voice and asked Yuan Shao in a tone that was almost interrogative, "I am neither deaf nor blind. How far is the battle in Liyang and Chaoge from Yecheng? It was just a battle that took place in the south of Zhanshui!"
"General!" Liu Bian said word by word, "If you were Cao Cao, after winning this victory, if you could use this victory to gain the support of the Hebei noble families, if you wanted to reach Yecheng, could you set out in the morning and arrive in the evening?"
able.
Indeed, you can.
Henei County where Cao Cao was located and Wei County where Yecheng was located were completely adjacent to each other. Even though the area north of Zhan Shui in Henei County was incorporated into Wei County as a barrier to the capital after Liu Bian proclaimed himself emperor in Yecheng, even with the addition of this buffer zone, the distance was not much additional.
If the Sili army really wanted to march straight in, he could do it since Yuan Shang's troops were already divided.
Perhaps the military forces around Yecheng and the reinforced city gates can make this place a place that takes months to break through, but when Yecheng's wings are gradually eliminated, even the Hebei families will never stand on their side.
It is only a matter of time before the city is captured and the people are destroyed.
"Look, you agreed." Liu Bian's face suddenly became dejected.
Ever since Qiao Yan ascended the throne, he has regretted countless times why he wanted to sit on the throne of the Han Dynasty.
It was only because of Yuan Shao's repeated persuasion and his lucky mentality that he felt he still had a chance to turn the situation around, but what he waited for was what happened today.
The defenders in the southern part of Yecheng were almost wiped out, and the main general of the opposing army was forced to the opposite side by Cao Cao!
"General, do you still think we shouldn't move the capital?"
At least retreat some distance to the north, there is a territory where you can fight with the enemy.
Otherwise, they can just head north or northeast, go out to sea from the Bohai Bay, and find another place to take shelter. That's better than sitting here and waiting to die, right?
They could even form an alliance with Goguryeo after arriving at its territory, win over the surrounding Buyeo, and take advantage of the fact that the commander of the Wuhuan Guards on the opposite side withdrew from Liaodong County and Gongsun Du might still have the idea of being independent, to seize a new territory in the easternmost part of Youzhou, and then slowly plot to take over the Central Plains.
However, facing Liu Bian's hopeful yet desperate eyes, Yuan Shao gave an extremely firm answer, "No, we can't leave."
"Your Majesty, if you retreat, the reputation of the Han royal family will be completely lost," Yuan Shao's expression was solemn, and even his speech speed suddenly increased a lot, which almost shocked Liu Bian on the spot. "Today you can retreat from Yecheng to Quliang, tomorrow you can retreat from Quliang to Julu, and the day after tomorrow you can retreat from Julu to Bohai Bay, and directly send every inch of the Han territory to Qiao Yan without fighting."
"What's the difference between this and playing into her hands?"
Yuan Shao smiled bitterly, "Your Majesty, do you think she is meeting us in August because she will have enough food and grass to launch the final attack by then? Believe it or not, if you retreat today, tomorrow's news will be that she has issued an order for an all-out attack!"
Liu Bian hesitated and said, "Then...then what should we do now?"
Yuan Shao replied: "Gather representatives of the noble families in Hebei and defend Yecheng to the death!"
He didn't know how Qiao Yan convinced the noble families under her rule and made various concessions to her from March to June. However, the noble families in Hebei, who lacked knowledge of Dayong, would definitely feel that there was too much coercion and inducement involved. They were also facing a life-and-death situation for themselves.
The decisions made by Ju Su and Shen Pei at this time may also have been influenced by this factor.
In short, they are still grasshoppers tied to the same rope.
"In addition, please order Your Majesty to execute... Guo Tu and Feng Ji for the crime of treason!" Yuan Shao gritted his teeth and said the second sentence of the decision.
Liu Bian almost lost his composure on the spot because of these words.
How could he forget that Guo Tu and Feng Ji were one of Yuan Shao's subordinates who were highly trusted by Yuan Shao, but now they had become the ones to be sacrificed by Yuan Shao.
However, Yuan Shao did not explain to Liu Bian that neither the officials in the court of Yecheng nor the celebrities in Hebei were suitable to be used to kill people to establish authority at this time. Only two people could take on this responsibility, namely Feng Ji and Guo Tu.
It is also possible to put all the blame for Yuan Shang's defeat on Guo Tu, and just say that it was he who made the suggestion when Yuan Shao was ill.
At this time, Liu Bian did not have the extra energy to care about Yuan Shao's intention.
He calmed himself down a bit and asked, "These two measures are only a temporary solution. General, do you really think that we can fight against Dayong with these two measures?"
I’m afraid... I can’t do that?
Yuan Shao’s answer was also the word “no”.
But before Liu Bian could reply, Yuan Shao continued, "Qiao Yan has no offspring, and her clan members have either been exiled to Jiaozhou by her or have not yet won the support of the people. If we defend Yecheng to the death, she will come in person to the meeting in August..."
"Your Majesty, the prosperity of Dayong today is nothing but a castle in the air!"
"She has offended too many forces that laid the foundation for the Han Dynasty. Unless she can live in peace and have a son who can inherit her will and ability and take over the heavy responsibility in her hands, the four hundred years of accumulated power of the Han Dynasty will eventually be restored."
"And if she can die in Jizhou, wouldn't it prove that the Han Dynasty is the orthodox Mandate of Heaven, and that Your Majesty's throne is still the Mandate of Heaven?"
This is their last chance.
No matter what method was used to complete the assassination, Yuan Shao had to bring about this result, otherwise he might as well agree with Liu Bian's idea of taking a step back and jumping into the Bohai Sea with the last emperor of the Han Dynasty.
Precisely because this move was difficult, he had to reinforce the city gates of Yecheng while mobilizing all the aristocratic families in Hebei.
In this last month or so, he is going to make a desperate effort.
When Guo Tu and Feng Ji were gagged and dragged away, escorted to the busy city to be executed, Yuan Shao's figure was hidden in the shadow of the twilight, like a stone sculpture with no signs of life.
Everyone in Yecheng has sensed the impending storm, making the place so quiet that it doesn't seem like the imperial capital under the feet of the emperor, but rather like a dead and quiet city.
This terrifying silence was suddenly broken until the evening bell rang as the emperor urgently summoned his ministers to discuss matters.
Everyone started moving forward again, as if they had not seen the two lucky ministers lose their lives today.
Under such heavy pressure, they didn't even know whether they should be happy about this year's harvest or whether they should flee Yecheng as soon as possible.
Those who had no idea about the court game only knew that a few days later, many more soldiers were sent around Yecheng, surrounding the capital like an iron barrel.
One group was led by Yuan Shao's nephew Gao Gan, who headed south to the place where Yuan Shang had once been stationed.
It seems that nothing has changed much.
But it seems like something has turned upside down...
"When it comes to the ability to struggle to the death, Dong Zhuo should really learn a thing or two from Yuan Benchu." Qiao Yan couldn't help but sigh after receiving the news.
When Dong Zhuo was unable to expand outward and could only wait for Qiao Yan to invade, he allowed himself to lose the motivation to make progress and stayed in Chang'an, Guanzhong. As a result, because he had lost his ambition, his subordinates discovered the opportunity to seize power.
But what about Yuan Shao?
This guy's morale may have been shattered, but he still pieced it together again, so that at this moment he has the confidence to fight back.
Dong Zhuo did not take any action to kill all the Xiliang generals who had followed him for many years. However, Yuan Shao was very decisive and directly took action against Guo Tu and Feng Ji.
Judging from this comparison, it is only natural that Yuan Shao lived longer than Dong Zhuo.
However, if we remove Xun Chen who was temporarily under house arrest, Yuan Shao's advisers are only Ju Shou, Shen Pei and Xin Ping, and the only generals of any reputation are Gao Gan, Gao Lan and Jiang Qi.
"The territory is leaky on all sides, and the subordinates are betraying you... Yuan Benchu, oh Yuan Benchu, you only have one or two tricks left."
But Yuan Shao is not Liu Xiu who also loves the celestial phenomena!
Why does he think he has such luck!
When the end of June passed with the battle between Xin Ping and Jia Xu in Qingzhou, the time of July also passed at a rapid pace.
In mid-July, the Guanzhong garrison received an order:
One person will be selected from every five people, and the best will be admitted, and the troops will be recruited in the south of Chang'an City!
There is almost no need to give any further explanation in this order. It is not difficult for anyone who hears the news to guess that this is to select a team to accompany the emperor in person!
It was the last wait before the autumn harvest. The soldiers who had participated in the military farming had returned to the state of military training and were ready to go. Suddenly, they heard such a piece of news and immediately plunged into the selection as quickly as possible.
The prosperity of Chang'an since the first year of Jian'an was all created by Her Majesty. Many of the Guanzhong garrison troops had accompanied her from Liangzhou to Guanzhong, and some had even participated in the Battle of Hanzhong with her. How could they be willing to miss this final battle to pacify the world?
However, the limitation of military force was real. Five days later, only one fifth of them were lucky enough to arrive at the reviewing platform in the south of Chang'an City.
The interception of two important passes in the Taihang Mountains in the direction of Bingzhou, the smooth operation of Yizhou to pacify the southern barbarian forces, and the easing of the war situation in Jingzhou allowed the three states to save a lot of armor, which was sent to Guanzhong as early as the beginning of July. The iron ore mines and armor-making workshops in the north of Bingzhou also sent their remaining stocks over.
So when Qiao Yan stepped onto the reviewing platform wearing armor instead of a dragon robe, he looked down and saw thousands of soldiers wearing fine iron armor. Under the rising sunlight, it looked like a grand sight of armor shining like golden scales facing the sun.
This was completely different from the way she looked when she held the imperial seal in her hand and looked down at the people below during the coronation ceremony.
Amid the solemn silence of the military below, lurks a sharp fighting spirit that reaches straight into the sky.
Although it was not as enthusiastic as the supporters who supported his ascension to the throne at that time, it was also full of excitement in another form.
She could hardly help thinking about this question: When was the last time she had assembled her troops in this way and was about to go into battle?
This method of reviewing troops from a high platform may even be traced back to the war in the north when the Xianbei were attacked and the troops marched out of Baidaochuan.
But now, she is no longer the governor of Bingzhou whose life and death are not under her control, but the overlord of the only two states left in the world!
The moment she stepped onto the stage holding the two-section three-barreled rifle that had been with her for many years, all the eyes below were on her.
With the sound of a drum signaling the start, the soldiers standing with their weapons in hand burst into earth-shaking shouts.
That is a response and respect for her.
But the moment she raised the spear in her hand, the thunderous sound suddenly returned to silence.
No one made any unnecessary sound at this moment.
Just because their presence here is an honor different from others, they are not willing to give it up to others.
If they cannot obey your majesty's orders during this troop movement, then who can guarantee that they will not make such a big mistake in the upcoming battle!
In this wilderness, the summer heat waves passed through the armored soldiers, as if they were solidified on the spot, frozen in this land full of weapons.
It was not known whether it was because Qiao Yan's voice really had such penetrating power, or because they were holding their breath and concentrating at the moment, which caused them to have such a psychological effect. They all seemed to clearly hear a sonorous and powerful sound, followed by the sound of the spear in Qiao Yan's hand hitting the ground.
"You are all the elite troops of Guanzhong. You raise them for a thousand days and use them in one moment."
"Follow me on my eastern expedition to pacify the world!"
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