"Ha! Our young master is truly a gifted writer!"
"That's certainly true..."
Xue Rengui and Chang Yuchun were already impressed by Zhao Hao's broad-mindedness, as well as his literary and military talents.
Zhao Hao also gave the two enough space to show themselves. The strength of 105 was just the upper limit that the tavern gave them, not their own upper limit.
Give them enough credit, and then expand your territory to a wider extent.
In this way, they can be given priority to obtain exclusive equipment and skills.
On the Tongguan Pass wall, a fat man with bloodshot eyes clenched his fists in resentment and smashed a small section of the wall with a single blow.
Because of his excessive weight, he almost fell off the city wall himself. Fortunately, several strong men joined forces to pull him back, preventing him from dying.
"Issue my military order: all officers and soldiers are to hold the city gates and not engage in battle without authorization. Anyone who disobeys will be punished according to military law!"
"promise!"
...
Compared to the renewed fighting at Tongguan, the situation in other parts of the country has already begun to change.
Because Zhao Hao raised an army to attack Dong Zhuo, while Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, did nothing, Zhang Xian, the head of the prominent families in southern Jingzhou, raised the banner of rebellion, formally severed ties with Liu Biao, and engaged in close combat.
In a short time, all four prefectures of Jingnan, except for Wuling Prefecture, fell. It is likely that Wuling alone will be unable to withstand the attack and will soon fall into Zhang Xian's hands as well.
Liu Yan of Yizhou was in increasingly poor health, and the officials of Yizhou began to stir with ambition.
As in history, they did not intend to support Liu Mao, the third son who held military power and was now the eldest son.
On the contrary, it was the youngest son, Liu Zhang, who had no foundation and was timid and suspicious.
There was no other reason than that young children were easier to control, allowing the officials of the Yizhou faction to profit from them more effectively.
Not to mention, the four counties of Yuexi, Jianwei, Yongchang, and Zangke in Yinan have repeatedly suffered from rebellions by the local southern people, requiring the continuous dispatch of large armies to suppress them.
To the north, Zhang Lu also seized control of Hanzhong Commandery and refused to obey the orders of Liu Yan, the governor of Yizhou.
The entire Yi Province was in complete chaos. Although Liu Yan seemed to possess the land of abundance, he could only effectively control the three commanderies of Shu, Guanghan, and Ba.
Given the chaotic state of affairs in the region, it's unlikely that the situation will be completely resolved by the time Liu Yan dies. Therefore, Zhao Hao will not consider advancing into Shu until Liangzhou and the capital region are unified.
As for Yuan Shu, he divided his forces into three routes. One route was led by Sun Jian to attack Lu Kang, a tough nut to crack in Lujiang Commandery. The other two routes were led by Ji Ling and Liu Xun respectively, and they went down the river to spy on Moling Commandery and Wu Commandery. General Zhang Xun was stationed in Shouchun to protect Yuan Shu's capital.
At the same time, Yuan Shu was not entirely foolish. He actually sent gifts to Liu Bian in Jinyang, listing the many illegal acts of Lu Kang, Liu Yao, Wang Lang, Yan Baihu, and others, and requesting the imperial court to issue an edict to punish these people.
Zhao Hao certainly wouldn't sit idly by and watch this guy grow bigger. Want a legitimate reason to attack? He wouldn't let you get your way without spending a lot of money.
Zhao Hao immediately sent a letter to Liu Tong, who was in Jinyang, stating that Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, although from families that had held high office for four generations and were prominent clans, were in fact traitors to the state and should not be allowed to grow powerful.
Therefore, he ordered Sun Jian, one of his subordinates, to be appointed General Who Guards the South, overseeing military affairs of the Yue tribes. To maintain balance, he also promoted Yuan Shu to General of the Rear and concurrently Governor of Yangzhou.
Zhao Hao also wanted to annoy Yuan Shu and, incidentally, test the other old man.
Therefore, Tao Qian was promoted from General of the East to General of the East without any reason while holding the position of Governor of Xu Province, and was required to assist Yuan Shu in pacifying the rebellious bandits in Yang Province who did not submit to the king's rule.
Tao Qian's decision remains to be seen. However, Gongsun Zan and Liu Yu, who are quietly developing in Youzhou, are now 70% stronger than in the original historical records. Even Gongsun Du, far away in Xiangping, has, thanks to Zhao Hao, defeated his surrounding enemies and is showing signs of wanting to declare himself King of Liaodong.
The most pitiful one was Emperor Wu of Wei, who was farming in Yanzhou. Although many talented people were still flocking to him, his weak strength made him unable to even deal with the remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion around him.
With the disappearance of the Black Mountain bandits, Liu Dai, Zhang Miao, and their entourage faced significantly less pressure than before. With Cao Cao and Bao Xin carrying the burden for them, these men of noble birth began to indulge in pleasure and debauchery once more...
“Brother Wenjie, look, Gongsun Zan’s army has now entered Zhongshan, and your general Ju Yi has rebelled. My lord has also wiped him out in Hejian and Qinghe.”
"Sir, shouldn't you offer some gesture to live up to your reputation as a disciple of the Yuan family, and to reassure the people?"
Han Fu looked at Guo Tu, who was fawning over her, and fell into deep thought.
As in history, Gongsun Zan, at the invitation of Yuan Shao's letter, sent troops to Zhongshan and Anping.
Naturally, Han Fu, just as in history, was defeated by Gongsun Zan's archers and cavalry.
In this situation, if Han Fu wanted to defeat Gongsun Zan, the best solution was indeed to seek help from Yuan Shao.
"I wonder, what would it take for the Alliance Leader to grant me his assistance?"
Seeing Han Fu's 'moved' look, Guo Tu chuckled awkwardly.
"Now that our lord has a large army, he needs more land to support it."
If we can defeat Gongsun Zan, and Brother Wenjie can hand over the two commanderies of Anping and Julu to our lord to manage, thereby raising troops, that would be the best outcome.”
Han Fu was taken aback, her expression turning somewhat displeased.
"Hehe, I know that I am not worthy of the position. If I were to give the position of Governor of Ji Province to Lord Yuan, I wonder if Lord Yuan would be better able to deal with the treacherous rebels who are eyeing us from all sides."
"I only desire the position of a wealthy man; I ask for nothing more!"
Guo Tu took one look and realized that Han Fu was actually a kind and honest person.
After thinking it over, they told him about their subsequent plans.
They originally did not intend to control the entire territory of Ji Province, after all, Zhao Hao of Bing Province was too powerful. They also planned to first drive Han Fu to Changshan State and Zhao State as a buffer zone between them and Zhao Hao, and then slowly take back Zhongshan State from Gongsun Zan.
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