It was not difficult for Yang Rui to see through Yuan Shu's calculations. However, Yang Rui did not intend to expose Yuan Shu. He also did not intend to break the influence that Yuan Shu was trying to create.
To Yang Rui, the situation of the three kingdoms was ultimately decided by the size of each faction. As for momentum and influence, if one did not have the support of strength, it was still an illusory thing.
Thus, Yang Rui decided to ignore Yuan Shu's imperial edict and let him create momentum. However, Yang Rui could not truly speak up for Yuan Shu and not create a basis for others to view this matter.
As for Yuan Shu's' imperial edict 'requesting Yang Rui to return the captured soldiers, Yang Rui naturally could not casually agree.
Originally, Yang Rui had made it clear many times that Yuan Shu's faction withdrawing from Xu Province was only a precondition for Yang Rui to return the captives. Although Yuan Shu's request was righteous, he knew that Yang Rui would not give in.
Regardless of whether it was to establish power or face, Yuan Shu's expression was his personal matter. Yang Rui's response only needed to wait for Yuan Shu's actions.
Yuan Shu's' imperial edict 'was originally just an interlude. It only represented Yuan Shu's attitude and actions. After Yang Rui heard Guo Jia and Xun You's report, he casually tossed it aside.
In comparison, Yang Rui was more concerned about Liu Bei's situation in Xu Province.
In Yang Rui's view, there was a high probability that Yuan Shu's faction would not be able to survive until the third system storyline. Thus, Yang Rui did not plan to waste too much effort on Yuan Shu's Xu Province.
When the time came, as long as Yuan Shu's faction fell, it would be easy to reclaim the 6 counties in Xu Province.
However, Liu Bei's situation was not the same. In history, Liu Bei's rise was only after the Battle of Guandu. Thus, Liu Bei was a 'potential stock' and Yang Rui had to pay attention to him.
Under such considerations, Yang Rui made a general plan from the start. At the very least, before the third system storyline happened, he had to chase Liu Bei out of Xu Province.
In history, after Yuan Shu was destroyed, Yuzhou and Yangzhou were basically split between Cao Cao and Sun Ce. Cao Cao's faction in the game had suffered a lot and Sun Jian did not die to arrows like in history.
Therefore, after Yuan Shu's ascension to the throne ended, the development of the various factions, especially the changes in their territories, was hard to predict. However, Yang Rui definitely did not want to see another powerful faction appear in the vicinity.
On the other hand, Yang Rui also admitted that he did not have enough power to take over Yuan Shu's territory. In this way, it was likely to bring opportunities to the surrounding factions like Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian.
In history, the three of them were the characters that eventually dominated the area. No matter which side gained more power, it would be a huge potential threat. Take Liu Bei for example. Even if Yang Rui could not eliminate him, it would be better to chase him as far away as possible.
It was also because of this that Yang Rui hoped that Yuan Shu could hold on for a while longer and exhaust the surrounding factions.
It could be said that Yang Rui had already achieved some of his goals. Previously, Yang Rui had used the battle between Cao Cao and Yuan Shu as an opportunity to exhaust Cao Cao.
At the same time, Liu Bei had also been forced to the southernmost counties of Guangling Prefecture by Yang Rui. Among the factions around Yuan Shu, only Sun Jian was not affected.
Yang Rui had also noticed this, especially after Guo Jia, Xun You, and the others were brought into the real world. After understanding the history of the Three Kingdoms, they had repeatedly reminded Yang Rui of the threat of Sun Jian's faction.
In comparison, Sun Jian's faction was better at naval warfare and shipbuilding. In the plot of Dong Zhuo's Rebellion, Sun Jian had been able to build a large number of ships in a short period of time. It could be seen how strong his shipbuilding abilities were.
If the situation continued to develop, Sun Jian's faction would definitely be Yang Rui's strongest opponent on the surface. In history, all the ships had been built by Sun Wu's faction. Yizhou had also been discovered by the Sun family.
Of course, this situation had changed greatly because of Yang Rui and Sun Jian's choice. Back when the two of them had extinguished the fire in Luoyang, Yang Rui had chosen the map of the fourteenth state and the building blueprints of the ships, while Sun Jian had chosen the remaining Imperial Jade Seal.
Because of their choice, the one with the powerful fleet of ships was Yang Rui and not the Sun family's faction. The one with the map of Yizhou was also Yang Rui. The Sun family's chances of discovering Yizhou were similarly slim.
However, this did not rule out the possibility of the Sun family having a powerful navy in the future. The Sun family was still the strongest potential opponent on the surface.
Because Sun Jian had not died in the game, the plot of Yuan Shu's ascension to Emperor might be a good opportunity to weaken the Sun family's power.
In reality, Sun Jian had always been on good terms with Yuan Shu. Up until the [Battle of Xuzhou] storyline, Sun Jian had been Yuan Shu's lackey and had fought alongside Yuan Shu against Liu Bei.
However, at that time, Liu You had attacked Sun Jian's territory from behind. At the same time, Sun Jian and Yuan Shu seemed to have reached some kind of agreement. Sun Jian had handed over the Imperial Jade Seal and returned the attack on Liu You. He had also started the prelude to the Gangdong's seizure of territory.
Yuan Shu, on the other hand, had obtained the Imperial Jade Seal. At the same time, he had used the Imperial Jade Seal to suppress Liu Bei. It had played a big role in the [Battle of Xuzhou]. At that time, the two of them had officially developed separately.
However, no one knew what kind of agreement Yuan Shu and Sun Jian had reached. After Yuan Shu had ascended to Emperor, Sun Jian had not made any moves. Even after he had taken over Wang Lang and Yan Baihu's territory, he had stopped fighting with Liu You. It was as if he was no longer in a hurry.
Even when the Han Dynasty's little Emperor Liu Xie had issued an imperial edict to summon the vassals to send out troops to suppress Yuan Shu, Sun Jian's name was on the list of vassals. Cao Cao, Lu Bu, Liu Biao and Liu Bei had all responded. However, the Sun family had not made any moves.
At that time, the only ones who did not respond to Yuan Shu were Yang Rui and Sun Jian. The ones who were further away were Yuan Shao and the others.
Yuan Shao was from Yuan Shu's family. Yang Rui intended to use Yuan Shu's ascension to Emperor to weaken the other vassals. Sun Jian's lack of response could be said to represent his attitude. With his friendship with Yuan Shu, it was possible that Sun Jian wanted to protect Yuan Shu.
"Milord. Why don't we use Yuan Shu's return of the six counties to test Sun Jian?
Use Sun Jian to help Milord attack Liu Bei as a condition to reply to Yuan Shu. If the other party can make Sun Jian attack Liu Bei, Milord can return the captured troops. This way, we will know the truth.
If Sun Jian really does send out troops, he must be related to Yuan Shu. This is not a bad thing for Milord. We can use this opportunity to destroy Liu Bei's forces. At that time, Milord can return the captured troops of Yuan Shu.
Forming a good relationship with Milord would also be beneficial for Sun Jian. If Sun Jian does not send out troops to attack Liu Bei, it means that he does not have much relationship with Yuan Shu. Or at the very least, there is a gap between them. "
Just as Yang Rui was considering whether to send the Ethereal Ninja to Yangzhou to investigate the situation, he heard Guo Jia's words.
Guo Jia's suggestion could be said to be killing two birds with one stone. Not only could they test the relationship between Sun Jian and Yuan Shu, they could also use this opportunity to eliminate the stubborn Liu Bei's forces in Guangling. No matter what, it was not a bad thing for Yang Rui.
Thus, Yang Rui only thought for a moment and asked for Xun You's opinion before sending people to Yuan Shu in Shouchun to pass on the message according to Guo Jia.
At this time, Yang Rui and the surrounding vassals had stopped fighting. The transmission formation between Yang Rui and Yuan Shu could be used. Thus, the message was quickly sent out by the messenger.
After the message was sent out, Yang Rui discussed other matters with Guo Jia and Xun You for a while before quickly resting. Yang Rui did not expect that at noon the next day, Yuan Shu would reply.
This time, it was a large group of people sent by Yuan Shu to negotiate. The leader was a familiar face, Yang Hong.
"The Yuan Clan's messenger, Yang Hong, pays respects to Lord Blazing Sun!"
Yang Hong was still wearing his high hat and wide belt, looking like an elegant Confucian scholar. He cupped his hands and greeted Yang Rui.
Seeing Yang Hong again, Yang Rui saw that his appearance was dignified and his words were measured. Originally, he had a good impression of him. At this time, Yang Rui gave Yang Hong a lot of points in his heart. However, he did not show it on the surface.
With Yuan Shu's extraordinary background, he should have a natural advantage in attracting talents. However, the talents he really attracted were not as good as the subordinates of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao. There were only a few that could be brought out. Among them, Yang Rui had a very good impression of Yang Hong and Ji Ling.
According to historical records, the person who suggested Yuan Shu to suppress Xu Province and prevent Yuan Shu from becoming Emperor was Yuan Shu's senior official, Yang Hong. It could be seen that this person was not ordinary.
"Senior official Yang Hong does not need to be so polite. This is not the first time we have met. Although we have not seen each other for many days, we have not forgotten each other. I only regret that I did not have the opportunity to visit you. Please come in and chat. Today, I must talk with senior official Yang Hong.
We must drink until we are drunk, "Yang Rui said. He did not neglect anything, but sat upright. Although his words were warm, it gave people the feeling that he was just being polite.
Yang Rui knew that Yang Hong had been given a higher title after Yuan Shu became Emperor, but he still called him "senior official". This also showed his attitude and paved the way for the following conversation.
At the same time, Yang Rui directly brought Yang Hong into the inner room, leaving a large group of Yuan Shu's emissaries in the hall. On the one hand, it was convenient for the conversation, and on the other hand, it was to show the other party his power.
These people were obviously here to negotiate. Except for Yang Hong's humble words and deeds, the rest of them still put on the airs of the imperial family, holding the Zhong family's Emperor's seal in their hands, swaggering and looking at the sky with their eyes. Yang Rui was tired of it and simply let them stand outside for a while.
After entering the inner room, Yang Rui ordered the waiter to serve good tea. Guo Jia and Xun You also sat on the side. Yang Rui directly said that Yang Hong could speak directly.
Yang Hong was straightforward and said that he could persuade Sun Jian to join forces with Liu Bei in Guangling. After defeating Liu Bei, there were no other requirements, but there were a few preconditions.
"First, after my Lord persuades General Sun Jian to join forces with Liu Bei, Your Excellency King of Donghai should fulfill his promise and return my Lord's troops that were previously captured.
Second, my Lord wants to form a good relationship with King of Donghai. I can make the decision as long as King of Donghai and my Lord never use troops.
Third, my Lord hopes that King of Donghai can restart the previous method of material supply and material exchange, "Yang Hong said.
Originally, Yang Rui thought that Yang Hong would raise a lot of conditions for Yuan Shu. He did not expect that the other party would only raise two or three simple conditions. Yang Hong nodded and stopped talking.
However, when he thought about the three conditions, Yang Rui felt that Yang Hong was very smart. The three conditions had a lot of content, including the return of the captives, the promise not to fight, and the supply of materials. It could be said that they guaranteed Yuan Shu a basic living space.
Moreover, Yang Rui could not agree to more conditions. Yuan Shu no longer had any bargaining chips to make Yang Rui make more concessions or exchange for more benefits. Yang Rui was very clear about this.
After Yang Hong finished raising the conditions, Yang Rui did not know how to respond. Looking at Guo Jia and Xun You, who were still thinking, Yang Rui could only temporarily settle down Yang Hong and Yuan Shu's envoy group.
Previously, Yang Rui wanted to leave Yuan Shu's emissary group hanging for a while, but he didn't expect that Yang Hong would be fooled like this, which saved Yuan Shu's emissary a lot of crimes.
For Yang Rui, after confirming that Yuan Shu and Sun Jian had a certain relationship, it was a little difficult to reply to Yuan Shu.
The other two conditions that Yang Hong raised were easy to accept. The return of the captives was a condition that was agreed upon in advance. The supply of materials to the merchant alliance and the resumption of material exchange with civilians were not a big problem.
The only thing that Yang Rui could not promise to never attack Yuan Shu was a little inappropriate at this time.
If it was before confirming Sun Jian's attitude, Yang Rui was certain that Yuan Shu would not be able to last long. Even if he promised not to attack, it would not be a big deal. With the strength and attitude of the Han Dynasty and the other warlords, it would be difficult for Yuan Shu to survive for long.
However, it now seemed that Sun Jian and Yuan Shu had a deep relationship. If these two forces were to join forces, it would be a big disaster. Yang Rui could not allow a bigger disaster to survive for the sake of Liu Bei who was about to reach the end of his life in Xu Province.
"My Lord, this matter should not be rushed. Jia Tong can directly send an envoy to contact Sun Jian and find out his relationship with Yuan Shu. It would not be too late to make plans after that. At that time, we can bypass Yuan Shu and directly persuade Sun Jian to attack Liu Bei."
Seeing Yang Rui frown, Guo Jia spoke.
"Previously, we have also sent people to the Sun family to propose marriage. We wish to marry Sun Jian's daughter Shang Xiang for My Lord. However, we have not received a reply.
At this time, many warlords and factions have already selected their candidates. We can use this opportunity to send another envoy. "
Guo Jia continued, but Yang Rui was stunned.
Cheng Yu, Guo Jia, Sun Qian, and Xun You actually sent an envoy to Sun Jian to propose marriage? How old was Sun Shangxiang now?!
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