"Kang 'er, what do you think of these two?" In Liaodong, Gongsun Du stood in his mansion and asked a young man who looked very similar to Gongsun Du.
The Provincial Governor of Liaodong had long been changed to Ping Prefecture by Gongsun Du himself, and Gongsun Du himself was the Prefecture Overseer of Ping Prefecture.
"Father, I think this Prime Minister Cao is still better!" Gongsun Kang was Gongsun Du's eldest son and his future successor, so Gongsun Du didn't hide anything from Gongsun Kang.
"Cao Cao?" Gongsun Du smiled and asked. "Why?" Gongsun Du had the idea of testing his son.
"Father, no matter what, we are all Han officials. This Prime Minister Cao represents the Han Emperor and is the rightful ruler of Han. We should submit to him!" Gongsun Kang said respectfully to his father.
Gongsun Du had the titles of Governor of Pingzhou and Marquis of Liaodong behind him. However, these titles were given by Gongsun Du himself, not by the imperial court. As the saying went, the title was not legitimate. Many people in Liaodong were not convinced by Gongsun Du.
Now Cao Cao represented the imperial court, the Han Emperor. There were benefits to holding the emperor and ordering his vassals.
Gongsun Kang wasn't the same as Gongsun Du. Gongsun Du came from a humble background, so he was a hardworking type. He wasn't interested in the Emperor at all. He only believed in his own strength, not the Emperor's will.
As early as a few decades ago, Gongsun Du learned that the Central Plains was in turmoil, so he said to his trusted subordinates, Liu Yi and Yang Yi, "The Han Imperial Family is about to be destroyed. It's time for me to discuss with you about the throne."
On the other hand, Gongsun Kang was different. It was precisely because he was uncultured that Gongsun Du sent his son to study after he made his fortune, learning poetry and etiquette. Ever since Dong Zhongshu abolished the Hundred Schools of Thought and only respected Confucianism, other than those who were born with an inheritance, such as Zhuge Liang's teacher, Shui Jing, or Yang Hong, the rest were learning Confucianism. One of the key points of Confucianism was to respect the ruler and his subjects.
Therefore, Gongsun Kang still admired the Han Emperor, so he was also interested in the imperial court's reward.
"Orthodox? Heh heh, can orthodox be eaten?! Wuwei General, Marquis of Yong Ning Village. "Gongsun Du sneered." Kang 'er, did you see the Eastern Pearl on my chest? "Gongsun Du pointed at the nine pearls on his chest.
"Yes, father. This is the Eastern Pearl!" Gongsun Kang nodded.
"Do you think your father still needs those Wuwei Generals and Yongning Village Marquises?" Gongsun Du asked his son.
"This!" Gongsun Kang really couldn't refute this. This was because this was the Nine King's Pearl. Nine represented the limit of the number. The so-called Nine and Five represented the number of the Nine King's Pearls. Only Marquises and Kings could carry the Nine King's Pearls. This was similar to the Nine Cauldrons of ancient times.
If Gongsun Du accepted the title of Wuwei General, Marquis of Eternal Peace Village, Dongzhu would be an eyesore.
"Kang 'er, you have to know why I chose Liu Mang of Yangzhou. First, you have seen the transactions with Yangzhou over the years!" Gongsun Du said to his son.
Gongsun Kang nodded. It was precisely because the warship of Yangzhou's King Of Shu, Liu Mang, arrived at Liaodong that the trade route between Liaodong and Yangzhou was completely opened. What did Liaodong have? Warhorses, countless warhorses. A wild herd could have thousands of warhorses, and there were even more domesticated horse farms. These warhorses were really worthless in Liaodong. In addition to being used as military horses, it could be said that the people outside the Great Wall even treated these wild horses as meat horses.
Eating horse meat was definitely a luxury in the Central Plains. A good warhorse was worth hundreds of gold coins. Even some ordinary warhorses could be sold for dozens of gold coins.
You let them kill the warhorses and eat their meat. If this isn't extravagance, then what is?
But in Liaodong, it was really a common thing. There were so many warhorses.
Warhorses were also a kind of animal. Year after year, they would always die of illness or old age. In order to control the scale of the horse farm and prevent the grassland from being eaten by horses, they even had to control the growth of horses. This showed that there were many warhorses.
This was why the nomads in the north were born to ride horses. They had to ride horses all their lives.
Originally, the sea route was blocked by the Yuan family brothers on the land. Even if there were no Yuan family brothers, Cao Cao would not let the warhorses of Liaodong go to the areas outside the Central Plains, especially the Jiangnan area. This was not asking for trouble.
Warhorses were like chariots for the ancient people. Cavalry was always the king of the battlefield.
So the warhorses of Liaodong could only be killed and used as vegetables. This was a big loss.
But now it was different. The King Of Shu of Yangzhou, Liu Mang, used the warhorses to open the sea route. These warhorses that were originally eaten were turned into pieces of gold, into ships of food, and even the steel weapons and armor that Liaodong lacked the most. (Don't say anything. The iron mines in Liaodong were all underground. They could not be mined.)
And they only needed to pay the warhorses. It was simply turning waste into treasure.
Even now, Gongsun Kang was wearing the best armor he had obtained from Yangzhou.
"If we take over Cao Cao's official position and title, then we will offend the King Of Shu, Liu Mang. At that time, will the salt, iron, steel, and armor still come?" Gongsun Du said to his son.
"A mere Marquis, a Wuwei General, in exchange for weapons and armor? Does that Cao Cao, Cao Mengde think I am stupid?" Gongsun Du coldly snorted.
"But father, if we agree to the King Of Shu, Liu Mang's request, we will have to send troops to fight that Cao Cao, Cao Mengde. I heard that Cao Cao's subordinates are all veterans. Otherwise, Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu would not have lost." Gongsun Kang was still a little worried. Cao Cao's 300,000 soldiers were stationed in Hebei. Just hearing this number made him feel uncomfortable.
The entire Liaodong had less than 100,000 soldiers. Even Yuan Benchu was not Cao Cao's opponent. Just Liaodong alone, how could they fight?
"Haha, don't worry, Kang 'er. Even if the sky falls, there is still a tall man in front of us. That Cao Cao will not make a move against us until he exterminates the Yuan family. Even if the Yuan family is not going to make a move, there is no need for us to worry. Although it is the King Of Shu, Liu Mang, how much we send and how we send is up to us. The Yuan family has already reached this level, what they need is not troops, but food." Gongsun Du smiled and said to his son.
Gongsun Du could not wait for this Cao Cao and the Yuan family to fight to the death. The longer the fight, the more benefits Gongsun Du would have. If he agreed to Cao Cao's request, once Cao Cao took down the Yuan family and turned hostile, who would Gongsun Du cry to? The deal with the King Of Shu, Liu Mang, was different. The two sides were separated by the sea. Liu Mang could not attack. No matter how strong he was, he would have to deal with Cao Cao first. Therefore, what Yangzhou's Liu Mang needed was time, and Gongsun Du also needed time. It was just that they were making money from the war.
The Yuan family needed food, but they did not have much food left. They only had money in their hands. What could they do? They could only buy. Where could they buy from? Naturally, they would buy from the nearest Liaodong. Cao Cao would not sell to him. The nomads in the north did not even have enough to eat. How could they give to the Yuan family? The selling of food in Liaodong was a monopoly.
With a monopoly, the price would naturally be high. The food that was originally worth one yuan could be sold for three to five yuan. Even if it was sold for ten yuan, the Yuan family would have to pinch their noses and accept it.
As for Yangzhou's King Of Shu, Liu Mang, he also wanted the Yuan family to stall Cao Cao. Naturally, he would lower the price of the food and sell it to Liaodong. The food that was originally worth one yuan, the King Of Shu, Liu Mang, could be sold for fifty cents.
This way, fifty cents worth of food could be sold for ten yuan. Twenty times the profit. This was simply robbery. Who would not want it? Food was just one thing. There were also weapons and armor. These were also profitable businesses.
The Liaodong Army had changed a lot of Yangzhou's armor. Therefore, the old armor could only be used for two purposes. First, it could be stored in the warehouse to mold. Second, it could be used to expand the army. If Gongsun Du could expand the army, he would have done so long ago. The key problem was that he could not expand the army. Liaodong was originally a cold place. Only those who were originally sent here would be sent here.
The population of eighty thousand was already Gongsun Du's limit. Therefore, the armor could only mold.
Now, the Yuan family was fighting with their backs against the wall. If they lost, they would be finished together. If they won, they would have a bright future.
The Liaodong Army didn't care about these old armors, but the Yuan brothers wanted them. If they bought them and gave them to the commoners, they would be a ragtag army. They wouldn't be able to fight in the field, but they would be able to defend the city walls.
In this way, the Liaodong Army would not be able to avoid making money.
"Father is really talented. This child has learned a lot!" Gongsun Kang could not help but look at his father with admiration. Which father did not like the worship of his son? Gongsun Du looked at his son's expression and could not help but laugh.
"Reporting! Reporting to the Marquis, the Great Han Prime Minister Cao Cao has come! "A messenger entered the palace and reported to Gongsun Du.
"Cao Cao's messenger? Didn't he just leave? "Gongsun Du was a little confused, but he still received the messenger of Cao Cao.
"Great Han Prime Minister Cao's messenger greets His Highness Liao Dong King." The messenger of Cao Cao came in and immediately stunned Gongsun Du.
"Liao Dong King?"
…
"Elder Brother, I was in the wrong a few days ago. I'm here to express my apologies for what I did to Elder Brother!" In You Province's Yuyang, the former capital of the Great Yan Empire, had now become a safe haven for the Yuan family.
Cao Cao's army was divided into three groups. One group attacked Bing Province, one group marched to Ji Province, and the last group swept through You Province.
The Yuan family brothers not only had to resist Cao Cao, but they also had to resist the war between them. Therefore, the bigger their territory became, the smaller their strength became.
The two brothers were dumbfounded. Originally, Bing Province and Ji Province were in the hands of Yuan Shang, while Yuan Tan had You Province and half of Qing Province.
Their territories weren't considered small. Liu Biao can be a warlord of a region, but Liu Biao is only a Jingzhou.
However, now it seemed that Ji Province had fallen, Bing Province was about to fall, and Qing Province directly belonged to Cao Cao. Only You Province was left. The two brothers occupied half of it to resist Cao Cao's army.
The current Yuan family brothers were very similar to Gongsun Zan, the provincial governor of Youzhou Province, who was forced by Yuan Shao to commit suicide.
As the two brothers realized that Youzhou Province might be destroyed if this situation continued, they would not have a good end like Gongsun Zan. Therefore, with the help of their brother Yuan Xi, they joined hands and prepared to fight Cao Cao together.
"You flatter me, younger brother. You were just deceived by a villain. It was Cao Cao's strategy. Our brotherhood is deeper than the East Sea. As your elder brother, how could I bear a grudge against you? " Yuan Tan also raised his cup with a smile and started to drink with his half-brother.
"That's great, that's great! Haha! I'll drink to you! "Yuan Shang bottomed up his cup.
"Hoho!" There was another person beside the two brothers, and that was Yuan Xi. Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang were born from the same mother. Yuan Xi was Yuan Shang's elder brother. Their mother loved her younger son, but she didn't treat her elder son badly. The relationship between the two brothers was quite good.
When Yuan Shao's wife, Mrs. Liu, gave birth to Yuan Xi, Yuan Tan's mother was still alive. Mrs. Liu treated Yuan Tan well for a while. Therefore, Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi kept in touch with each other frequently.
Later on, Yuan Tan's mother died. Mrs. Liu changed her attitude. In addition, Yuan Shang was born. Therefore, the two brothers stopped contacting each other. However, Yuan Xi never competed with his elder brother for anything. Because he knew that his mother loved his younger brother. Even if he competed with his younger brother, he wouldn't be able to get that position. If he competed with his younger brother, it would only turn against his mother.
Therefore, Yuan Xi, Yuan Tan, and Yuan Shang had a good relationship.
It was precisely because of this that the two brothers were able to get together under Yuan Xi's orders, which led to the scene before their eyes.
Who would have thought that just a month ago, the two brothers couldn't wait to kill each other and use each other's heads as wine pots?
Although they were lamenting, it was Cao Cao's good fortune to have the three brothers together.
"Alright, elder brother, third brother! You and I were born by the same father. We should support each other. Now that we are facing a great enemy, we should unite to show the glory of our Yuan family. "Yuan Xi said to his third brother and elder brother. The Yuan family's four generations of three dukes was not a joke. It could be said that most of the officials and nobles in the world had a relationship with the Yuan family. Some of them were disciples of the Yuan family, and some of them were from the Yuan family. This was the rallying power of a family.
"Of course. No matter what the grudges between us brothers are, it is still a fight between brothers. That Cao Cao is definitely not a person. He actually used the fight between us brothers to fulfill his ambitions. This time, our Yuan family will definitely destroy his army and seize his foundation. Little brother Shang, after we defeat that Cao Cao, the position of Minister of the Great Han Dynasty will be yours!" Yuan Tan was very forthright. After defeating Cao Cao, he would become the Minister of the Great Han Dynasty.
"Haha, elder brother, your father's position as the Great General will probably be yours when the time comes!" Yuan Shang also flattered Yuan Tan.
"When the time comes, you and I will be brothers. You will be in charge of the government, and I will conquer the world. The Great Han Dynasty will also change its surname to Yuan! "Yuan Tan, you're so good at flattering each other. If the Great Han Dynasty changed to Yuan, it would be hard to say whether Yuan Tan or Yuan Shang would be the Emperor.
Yuan Xi looked at his two brothers who were daydreaming and didn't know what to say. If he said too much, it would be a blow to their confidence. If he said too little, it would also make them arrogant.
Cao Cao hadn't been defeated yet, and they were already dreaming of being the Emperor. Now, it was Cao Cao's army that was going to destroy their Yuan family brothers. Their Yuan family brothers were the ones who were struggling, not Cao Cao.
But now, it seemed like the two of them were thinking about how to divide Cao Cao's territory after defeating Cao Cao. Here, you take Ji Prefecture, I take Yan Prefecture. Over there, you say elder brother will give you Bing Prefecture, I will take Zhili.
Yuan Xi smiled bitterly and shook his head. Father, oh father, what kind of son did you give birth to? However, the only thing that made Yuan Xi happy was that the two of them were no longer fighting each other.
"Elder Brother, Third Brother, we don't have enough provisions. If we are surrounded by Cao Cao's army, we will only have enough for three months." Yuan Xi said to the two of them. This was a little cold water, and it was to make the two of them sober up.
Sure enough, when the issue of provisions was brought up, the two of them frowned. They were no longer as lofty as before. A single cent was difficult to kill a good man. They had also done what they did, and a day's worth of provisions would be enough to kill them.
"Provisions? If the army doesn't have enough, we can go to the commoners to get more! Those commoners, it's time for them to contribute. You and I will shelter them from the wind and rain. If it wasn't for us, they would have already been tortured by Cao Cao. Every household will give one dan of food, and it will be enough for our army to use for half a year! "Yuan Tan immediately came up with a plan. Yuan Xi was so scared that his face almost turned white.
Motherf * cker, take food from the ground? One dan? How could the commoners have so much food? Even if they did, the commoners would be done for if they took this much food. You are still counting on the commoners to help you defend the city walls. If you take their food and force them to their deaths, they will open the city gates to welcome Cao Cao.
"Milord, you can't!" Fortunately, what Yuan Xi was worried about didn't happen. One of Yuan Tan's strategists stood up and hurriedly stopped Yuan Tan. "Milord, it's already winter, and the commoners don't have much food left. If we take more food, Milord, the commoners might side with Cao Cao!" This middle-aged strategist was called Guo Tu.
Don't underestimate Guo Tu. When he mentioned Guo Tu, everyone would think that he was a despicable person. In fact, that wasn't the case. Besides Xi Zhicai and the others who came up with this plan, there was another person who thought of this plan, and that person was Guo Tu.
Later on, Guo Tu recommended that Yuan Shao kill Liu Bei and join forces with Sun Ce to kill Cao Cao. The reason Yuan Shao had the capital to come up with this plan was because of Guo Tu's advice.
However, Guo Tu's plan was completely rejected. It wasn't that Guo Tu was useless, but that the checks and balances between the two parties were too strong.
If Guo Tu didn't know how to scheme and play tricks, he would end up like Tian Feng and the others and end up in a miserable state.
Therefore, Guo Tu could only go with the flow, not to mention that he was originally Yuan Tan's master. It was only right that he worked hard for his master, which was why he framed the loyal, such as Gao Lan, Zhang He, and the others.
Guo Tu could see at a glance that if his master Yuan Tan's plan was carried out, everyone would be finished. Originally, Guo Tu planned to speak after the matter was over. However, he couldn't delay any longer. Therefore, he had no choice but to stand up without giving face.
"So what if it's the people's sentiment!" After being refuted by his subordinate, Yuan Tan, who had lost face, was a little angry and was about to make a move.
On the other side, a middle-aged strategist was also giving Yuan Shang a secret signal. This person was the chief strategist in charge of interrogating Yuan Shang.
The meaning of the interrogating signal was for Yuan Shang to give Yuan Tan a way out.
Although Yuan Shang really wanted to embarrass Yuan Tan, he also knew what kind of situation they were in. "Elder Brother, why are you so angry?" Yuan Shang raised his wine cup and said, "Those lowly people's lives are worthless. However, Elder Brother, we still need this group of worthless people to help us conquer the world. They are just ants. Elder Brother, why are you angry with them?" Yuan Shang's words finally made Yuan Tan feel a little better.
Although it wasn't pleasant to hear, the strategists and civil officials nodded in agreement. They felt that the Third Young Master was more reliable than the First Young Master. However, this thought didn't last for more than three minutes before their impression of him changed.
"How much food can those lowly people have? If they can't get it, then I'll let the soldiers eat less. Anyway, they won't starve to death. Let's reduce three bushels of rice to two bushels a day. This way, we can last for a few more months."
"Pfft!" Yuan Xi almost choked to death on his wine.
F * ck, Yuan Tan's plan was to destroy the morale of the people. You're trying to destroy the morale of the army? Are you two reinforcements invited by the monkeys? Or are you two Cao Cao's subordinates?
How was this a plan? This was completely destroying the city wall.
The morale of the people and the army couldn't be lacking. These two brothers each played one person. If they listened to them, they wouldn't fight and everyone would just raise their hands and surrender.
"Cough cough!" Shen Pei's face also turned red. "Lord, the army's rations can't be reduced. These days, the soldiers have consumed a lot. They should eat more." Shen Pei's idea was to not only not reduce the rations, but also to increase the rations.
"This won't do, that won't do, what should we do?" Yuan Shang was also angry.
Shen Pei and Guo Tu looked at Second Young Master Yuan Xi. Only now did they realize how unreliable their lord was. If they had known earlier, they would have gone to Second Young Master Yuan Xi. But now, there was no medicine for regret.
"Big Brother, Third Brother! Don't worry, I already have some ideas about the rations! "Yuan Xi waved his hand and said to the two brothers.
"Big Brother, Third Brother, how much money do you have?" Yuan Xi looked at the two brothers and asked.
Yuan Xi had no other choice. Although he had brought the two brothers together, Yuan Xi's strength was indeed the weakest. This was because Yuan Xi had been determined to fight Cao Cao to the death from the very beginning. The tens of thousands of soldiers and horses under his command had long been destroyed by Cao Cao. What he could bring with him was only 2,000 cavalry. Money and provisions were also provided by these two brothers. So, he could only ask the two brothers.
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