Madam Liu quickly wrote a letter and handed it to Bai Xiaowen.
Bai Xiaowen didn't open it. At this point, if Madam Liu wanted her two sons to be safe and sound, she could only follow his arrangements. She definitely wouldn't act on her own.
After receiving the letter, Bai Xiaowen sent a messenger to Julu to welcome Yuan Tan.
However, Bai Xiaowen did not promise in advance what position he would be given. Instead, he asked Yuan Tan to come to Yedu first.
…
The next day, Jiang Yiqu respectfully escorted Ju Shou to Yedu.
Although he was imprisoned in Liyang, Ju Shou's complexion was good. It seemed like he did not suffer much.
Ju Shou approved of Bai Xiaowen inheriting the Yuan family business. Without any hesitation, he addressed Bai Xiaowen as' Lord '.
Bai Xiaowen held Ju Shou's hand, "Mister, you came at the right time. I have a difficult task that only you can do."
Ju Shou said, "My lord, what is it? Just tell me."
Bai Xiaowen said a few words in a low voice.
Ju Shou was shocked at first. He thought about it carefully and said, "My lord's plan is great. It has the charm of Great Ancestor Gaozu. However, if it succeeds, we will need the help of one person. "
"Who?"
Ju Shou said, "The former Beihai Prime Minister and Qingzhou Provincial Governor. The current Minister of Finances, Kong Rong, Kong Wenju."
Bai Xiaowen frowned, "This person is indeed useful. However, we cannot let him stay in Qingzhou. "
Kong Rong was once the Provincial Governor of Qingzhou. When Yuan Tan led his army over, Kong Rong did not win and gave up on Qingzhou. Later on, the Xudu Imperial Court under Cao Cao's control appointed Kong Rong as a court official. He was first a general and then a Minister of Finances (Nine Ministers).
In Bai Xiaowen's eyes, Kong Rong was a person who only knew how to talk. His talent was limited and he was definitely not on the same side as him. When Xun Yu was selecting talents in Xu Du, he even asked Bai Xiaowen if he wanted Kong Rong. However, Bai Xiaowen decisively rejected him and took him to Yedu as an ordinary imperial court official.
Kong Rong, who had once served as the provincial governor of Qingzhou, indeed had the ability to help Ju Shou complete Bai Xiaowen's plan.
Hearing Bai Xiaowen's concern, Ju Shou laughed and said, "Kong Rong is the twentieth descendant of Confucius. Every word and action of his is afraid of not following etiquette and dishonoring his ancestors. Since my lord has the Son of Heaven in your hands, you only need to issue an imperial edict when the time comes. How would he dare to not come? "
Bai Xiaowen nodded in understanding.
He couldn't help but think to himself that having a smart person by his side to praise the military strategy could indeed help him find and fill in the gaps, saving him a lot of effort. As the saying goes, one person's plan is short, but many people's is better.
Moreover, as a native of this plane, a strategist of Jushou's level would definitely fit the cultural background of the Three Kingdoms. This was something that Bai Xiaowen sometimes neglected.
… …
Jizhou, Julu Prefecture.
Yuan Tan led his troops and camped in Julu City. He accepted Wang Xiu's suggestion and didn't offend Julu to win over the people of Jizhou.
Wei Prefecture was right in front of him, but Yuan Tan couldn't continue forward.
Bad news spread out. Yuan Shang's hundred thousand troops were actually taken in by his second brother, Yuan Xi, without any effort!
Even Yuan Shang was scolded for passing down fake orders and ignoring human relations. He was tied up and brought to Yedu for questioning. Feng Ji, the strategist who had been assisting him, was killed by Yuan Xi. Shen Pei was imprisoned in Ye Capital without any news.
Now that Yuan Xi had three prefectures of land, the Guandu generals, and the Liyang camp all submitted to him. He also had the Son of Heaven in his hands, so how could he fight against him?
When Yuan Tan heard the news, he was so worried that his hair nearly turned white. He could only raise the tent to listen to everyone's opinions.
Many of the civil servants and generals in the tent tried to persuade him to make peace. The so-called persuasion was actually a tactful way of persuading him to surrender. After all, Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi were brothers, and Yuan Tan was the eldest son. The word 'surrender' was not suitable.
Yuan Tan was hesitant.
Guo Tu hurriedly said, "Lord, you are the eldest son of the Minister of War, so you should inherit your father's shadow. Since ancient times, when did you get rid of the elder and replace the younger? If you surrender to Yuan Xi, you will be mocked by the world. "
Yuan Xi looked at the few people in the tent worriedly.
The civil servants were Guo Tu, Wang Xiu, and Xin Pi. The generals were only Cen Bi, Peng An, and Yan Jing.
Yuan Tan couldn't help but sigh, "The difference in strength between me and Yuan Xi is huge. Even if I don't surrender, what can I do?"
Guo Tu said, "Lord, you can quickly return to Qingzhou and defend. Although Yuan Xi has three prefectures of land, he still has to deal with Cao Cao and won't have time to attack you! Even if you can't be the Minister of War, you can be a Lord and watch the world change. If you surrender, you won't even be able to become a rich man. "
Guo Tu was so scared that he peed his pants.
Feng Ji's head, dripping with blood, was placed there.
His position in Yuan Tan's camp was similar to Feng Ji's position in Yuan Shang's camp.
Moreover, he had a feud with Zhang He and Gao Lan!
If it was a lord like Yuan Shao, Guo Tu was confident that he could use his glib tongue to distort the truth. But if it was Yuan Xi … Guo Tu withered.
If Yuan Tan surrendered, as the strategist, he wouldn't be able to escape alive.
While they were discussing, a letter from Yedu's mother, Lady Liu, arrived.
Yuan Tan received the messenger and read the letter. He said to the civil and military officials, "Mother said that she had asked second brother to give me a big official position. She told me not to think too much and to go to Yedu to thank the Emperor. What do you think? "
Guo Tu hurriedly said, "Lord, you can't believe it. Even if it was written by the Old Madame, it could be Yuan Xi's scheme to put you under house arrest in Yedu. Otherwise, why didn't the letter mention anything about an official position? And I didn't see the Emperor's edict! "
Just as Yuan Tan was hesitating, the messenger said, "General, there's also a letter from the commander-in-chief."
Yuan Tan said, "Why didn't you hand it over earlier?" He immediately took the letter. He was most concerned about Yuan Xi's attitude.
After reading the letter, Yuan Tan was shocked.
"Second Younger Brother said that for the sake of the harmony between the brothers and not to hurt their brotherhood, he asked the Emperor to give me the title of Grand Commandant and make him the Great General! The edict will be sent down in a few days. "
Yuan Tan was in disbelief. He looked at everyone, "What do you all think?"
Xin Pi said, "After all, you are the eldest son. Based on the rules, you should inherit your father's shadow. Second young master's actions aren't impossible. "
Guo Tu said, "That's definitely a lie. Don't believe it."
Yuan Tan was tempted, but because of what Guo Tu said, he didn't dare to believe it.
Guo Tu suggested, "Why don't you station troops in Julu and wait for the imperial court's edict to arrive?"
The imperial court's edict wouldn't be changed. Even the Xudu Imperial Court under Cao Cao's control had to maintain the prestige of the imperial court. If not, the edict would become more and more worthless.
Yuan Tan said, "If the edict really arrives, what should we do?"
Guo Tu said, "If that's really the case, Milord has the imperial court's official title, the status of the eldest son, and military power. Once you make a call, the ambitious people in Ji Province who remember Old Milord's benevolence will definitely switch sides and pledge allegiance to Milord. At that time, if we advance, we can plot against Ji Zhou, and if we retreat, we can protect Qing Zhou.
Wang Xiu said, "Although that's the case, we still need to be wary of Yuan Xi's stalling tactics. If they surround us while we station troops in Julu, it will be too late to regret. "
Guo Tu said, "You can send more scouts to scout Liyang, Ye City, and other important places. If Yuan Xi mobilized the army, how could he hide it from the Lord's eyes and ears? "
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
