Chapter 283 Er Yuan’s Reaction
In the palace in Shouchun City, there was a gloomy and gloomy scene.
The roars of the past have also disappeared. The domineering and all-powerful Skeleton King is slumped on the throne at this moment, muttering to himself with dull eyes: "How dare Liu Xuande... , How dare he, the emperor, why do they dare to do this? "
Liu Bei announced to the world with an imperial edict that the news of Yuan Shu's dismissal from the rank of General Zuo and the title of Marquis of Yangzhai has spread from Runan to all directions.
The explosion of this news, the speed of its spread, and its breadth far exceeded everyone’s imagination.
It can only be said that Skeleton King Yuan Shu was still at the forefront in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The emperor directly deprived Yuan Shu of all his titles and branded him as a traitor to the imperial court. This impact was really huge.
For the Jianghuai area controlled by Yuan Shu, this impact is undoubtedly quite bad.
The local nobles who were deeply resentful of Yuan Shu's exploitative methods began to get ready to take action, and the Bailihou who were sent by Yuan Shu to various counties in the Jianghuai River also saw Yuan Shu's weakness. and decline, and suddenly began to have two minds.
Those who were relatively loyal began to make plans for their future, while those who were more ambitious began to look for ways to contact the warlords from all directions.
Especially in the counties of Runan and Pei, the defection speed is very rapid. In these two counties, except for a few important towns, such as Ruyin, Shencheng, and Longkang, there are no other Most of the counties and cities changed their tune and sent people to Ruyin City to ask for surrender.
As for the Jianghuai area, the situation is better, but the situation is still bad.
Originally, various resources were transported to Shouchun by water and land, but a lot of problems suddenly broke out in various counties of the soldiers. In some places, bandits suddenly appeared, in others the roads were damaged, and in others the place was unstable. But no matter what kind of problem it was, the result was that the remaining supplies and soldiers could not be transported temporarily.
Yuan Shu and his civil and military officials are not fools, so how can they not see the two sides of these guys' behavior.
But people dare to be on both ends of the spectrum, just because they are not afraid of your threat of force.
Think on the bright side, the two sides of the head and the rat have not betrayed you completely.
If you really make someone anxious, then breaking up with them would be a direct betrayal.
If the entire Jianghuai county imitates Runan and Pei, the framework that Yuan Shu is currently supporting will collapse. By then, not to mention Liu Bei, I am afraid that Liu Biao, Liu Yao and even Runan Huangjin would pounce on him and bite his flesh and blood, eating him up completely.
When thinking of this horrific scene, Yuan Shu even lost the strength to roar.
Yuan Shu sat slumped on the throne and complained softly that Liu Bei and the emperor were too ruthless and broke the rules.
The ministers below also looked at each other and were at a loss to do anything.
Before, Yuan Shu dared to curse the big-eared thief and ridicule the little emperor.
That's because he was gaining momentum at the time, sitting on the fertile land in the Jianghuai region, with 80,000 elite troops, and expanding in all directions.
But it's different now. Liu Bei has forced him into a corner, and he can't beat him.
Yuan Shu no longer had a bad mouth, and his waist was no longer stiff. Instead, he complained that Liu Bei and the emperor no longer followed the rules.
The essence of Yuan Shu is that he is tough on the outside and weak on the inside, strong on the outside but dry on the inside.
The weaker you are, the more he will bully you and slap you in the face.
The more powerful you are, the more afraid he will be of you, and he will turn your back on you.
"Gentlemen, what can you teach me?"
After complaining for a long time, Yuan Shu also knew that Liu Bei could not be killed by nagging alone, and he could only place his hope on a group of counselors.
But the counselors below were at their wits end. They originally wanted to rely on defense to force Liu Bei back. As long as they could hold on until Liu Bei's army suffered too much damage, or when the backup supplies and supplies were insufficient, they would naturally retreat.
This is how wars were fought in the past.
But now Peiguo and Runan have all rebelled, and Jianghuai is showing signs of instability on a large scale.
This is a sign that the country will be destroyed.
Seeing that none of the counselors below said anything, Yuan Shu suddenly became angry.
After pondering for a while, he confided a thought in his heart: "I intend to take Zhang Xun as the main general to guard Shouchun on my behalf. I will lead ten thousand elite soldiers south to garrison in Liyang. If I advance, I can go north to Shouchun. When the siege is lifted in the spring, we can retreat across the river to Jiangdong and meet up with Bo Fu. "
"My lord, no!"
"Ming Gong, you absolutely must not!"
"My lord, this is a bad idea, please think twice."
Yan Xiang , Yang Hong, Li Ye and others never expected that Yuan Shu, a great clever man, wanted to run away.
At this moment, the three counselors began to dissuade him in unison.
At present, people in Jianghuai have already been shaken, and the counties and cities around the country are not paying much attention to the greetings. If you act more forcefully at this time, then the powerful nobles in Jianghuai will not be able to figure out your cards, and they will be wary and dare not do anything openly.
As soon as you run away, the whole Jianghuai will know that you, Yuan Shu, have given up and are unable to resist Liu Bei. Why don't you immediately jump back and rush to claim credit and favor in front of Liu Bei?
At that time, not to mention Ruyin, even Shouchun will not be able to hold on.
Once people's hearts are scattered, it will be difficult to unite them again.
Yuan Shu did not understand these principles, and just frowned and asked: "The situation is so bad now. Only in this way can we regain the initiative. I am not afraid of Liu Xuande, but I am actually staying in Shou If you are stuck in a dilemma in spring, it is better to get out of it and look for opportunities on the outside. ”
Yan Xiang is almost desperate for Yuan Shu. Aren't you afraid of Liu Xuande?
When Liu Xuande is still in Ruyin, you are already afraid of going to Liyang.
When Liu Xuande enters Shouchun, you will probably have to cross the river and jump to Jiangdong.
But despair turned into despair, Yan Xiang still tried hard to persuade the other party: "At this moment, Ming Gong is the pillar of Jianghuai. As long as you live in Shouchun, the people of Jianghuai will be used by you, everywhere. If you go to Liyang, how can other cities in Jianghuai obey Shouchun's order? It was very explicit, almost like telling Yuan Shu directly that once you run away, Jianghuai will no longer be yours.
Yang Hong also tried to dissuade him and said: "My lord, now the three generals Qiao Rui, Li Feng and Liang Gang are still supporting you and Pei, and they are nothing more than my lord's backup. If you leave Shouchun at this time, the generals on the front line can What else can we rely on? We will have nothing to rely on, and we are afraid of disaster."
Yang Hong's words are also obvious. If you run away, Qiao Rui and the others may surrender directly. Don't do it then. Speaking of Ruyin and Longkang, even Shouchun can't keep it for a few days. How long can you hide in Liyang?
Li Ye even made direct suggestions: "Although the situation is dangerous now, Ruyin and Long Kang have successfully blocked Liu Qiaoqi's way south. The day before yesterday, General Qiao reported that Liu Qiaoqi attacked the city for two days , without any success, he had no choice but to start a siege. This is God's help, as long as he holds on firmly, the situation will change."
Seeing that his three confidants stopped him from leaving, Yuan Shu. He couldn't help but soften.
Yuan Shu looked at the queue of generals on the other side.
After Zhang Xun, the leader, saw Yuan Shu's gaze, he also stepped forward and said: "My lord, please sit down in Shouchun City. We will fight to the end and fight to the death to repel Liu Qiaoqi."
At this time, few people in the entire Yuan Shu Group dared to call Liu Bei by his name. Even Yuan Shu changed his name from Big Ear Thief to Liu Xuande, which shows that Yuan Shu is not an unreasonable person.
Seeing that the civil servants and generals did not agree with his method, Yuan Shu also hesitated for a moment.
This is not because Yuan Shu is so open-minded and fluent in his advice, but that at this time, he has been stripped of his strong appearance and gradually reveals his inner weakness.
After much hesitation, Yuan Shu finally did not dare to go his own way, but pretended to listen to everyone's opinions and stayed in Shouchun City for the time being.
"Where are Sun Xiang and Zhou Yu?"
Yuan Shu suddenly remembered the reinforcements from the south and asked Yang Hong.
Yang Hong has actually been keeping an eye on this matter, after all, it is related to everyone's wealth and life.
As soon as Yuan Shu asked the question, Yang Hong immediately replied: "The latest news is that they have entered Chengde County. After a day's rest, they will continue northward via Shaopi. In another seven or eight days, they will We can reach Shouchun."
Yuan Shu was not satisfied with this and whispered: "They are moving too slowly. They are still in Chengde. Aren't they still nearly two hundred miles away from Shouchun? Land?”
Yang Hong gave Li Ye a wink, and the latter nodded slightly, then stepped out and explained: "My lord, you are really not too slow. Captain Zhou and General Sun not only have to protect more than 5,000 civilians and 8,000 shi of food, but also All kinds of long and short weapons, chest armor equipment, and other materials have been exhausted."
Li Ye's words are actually very objective. To put it bluntly, in this era, ordinary nobles have powerful tribes. You may not be able to travel thirty miles a day and still maintain a well-established camping ground.
Not to mention that Zhou Yu also brought a large number of civilian vehicles, which tripled when he was in Hefei.
Sun Xiang's unit has higher combat power and is more independent. Captain Zhou will be fully responsible for these dirty work.
The Zhou family is originally the most wealthy family in Jiujiang, and even the entire Jianghuai River. If you are willing to come out to help you when Yuan Shu is in decline, it is already the greatest support for you. You actually find fault with others. If your life is not good enough, why do you have such a big face?
After listening to Li Ye's words, Yuan Shu's face softened slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then asked: "Can you urge them to speed up and get to Shouchun as soon as possible?" Yan Xiang didn't even have to look at Yang Hong and Li He took the initiative to stand up and said: "Ming Gong, Zhou Duwei is a rising star of the Zhou family. He has a reputation as a virtuous man in Jianghuai and is highly respected by people in Jiangzuo. For such a sage, even if he is wrong, we should be more tolerant and make him more tolerant." He is grateful for Ming Gong's kindness and serves Ming Gong. "My lord, what the master said is true."
Yang Hong, Li Ye, and even. Zhang Xun, Lei Bo and others on the side also stepped forward to speak.
Li Ye even said directly: "Captain Zhou's hard work has made great achievements, and the lord can reward him and promote him to an official position. Presumably, in this way, Captain Zhou, inspired by the lord's love, will definitely become more like a lord." Effectiveness.”
Stop being pretentious.
This is what Yuan Shu's men Wen Wu wanted to say in unison.
If a local rich like Zhou Yu is forced to rebel again, you won't be able to control the entire Jianghuai whether you run away or not.
No, the lord didn’t want to run away but was dissuaded and deliberately wanted to force Zhou Yu to rebel, right?
For a moment, everyone looked at Yuan Shu with something wrong, so much so that Yuan Shu even noticed it.
"Okay, okay, I understand, then let's declare Zhou Yu as the captain of the school."
Yuan Shu suddenly became a little afraid of the looks of these people under his command, and finally followed everyone's suggestions and promoted Zhou Yu's official position .
According to the current situation, Yuan Shu himself has been dismissed from the official position of General Zuo and deposed from the title of Marquis of Yangzhai. He has become a traitor to the court. How can he still be qualified to express Zhou Yu's performance? Become a school captain.
The civil and military forces below are also pretending to be stupid. They know that we are pretending not to know that Yuan Shu is General Zuo and Marquis of Yangdi. The only thing we need to worry about is whether Zhou Yu is willing to recognize this performance.
However, judging from Zhou Yu's willingness to transport troops and materials to Shouchun, he should still approve of Yuan Shu.
********
Yuan Shu's side was severely affected by Liu Bei's attempt to drain the fire, but his brother in the north was overjoyed.
On this day, Yuan Shao was discussing in the mansion. A group of Hebei civil servants and generals noticed that Yuan Shao walked in and seemed to be in a good mood. He could not suppress the smile on his lips.
"Gentlemen, I just received news."
Yuan Shao did not keep his confidants waiting, and soon confessed the cause of the matter.
"That fool in Huainan brought it upon himself. He offended the emperor, and asked Xuande to report to the emperor, and deprived him of all the nobles."
After saying that, Yuan Shao burst out laughing.
For Yuan Shao, watching Yuan Shu suffer defeat is simply one of the greatest joys in his life.
As we all know, Yuan Shao was born by a maid.
But few people know that there are actually two versions of Yuan Shao's birth.
The most well-known saying is that his father is Yuan Feng, who is the same father as Yuan Ji and Yuan Shu.
Because Yuan Shao had the lowest status, he adopted the deceased Yuan as his heir, thus acquiring the status of his legitimate son.
Another theory is that Yuan Cheng was born. Although the mother's status was low, because Yuan Shao was Yuan Cheng's only son, like Yuan Ji and Yuan Shu, he was the legitimate son at birth and was not influenced by his mother. The effects of low status.
The reason why Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao completely broke up was because Yuan Shu scolded Yuan Shao for being a maid and adopted son, and the two sides completely fell out.
Except for being pressured by the elders and having to cooperate with the family's orders, at other times both sides regard the other as a thorn in their side.
When Yuan Shao was young, he was often imitated due to his outstanding appearance and manners. He also had a reputation for being upright and capable, making him very famous despite his young age.
Yuan Shao had a handsome appearance, and later Yuan Shang's appearance became even more beautiful, which shows how good-looking the father and son are.
At the same time, Yuan Shao behaved majestically, was benevolent, and paid attention to reputation. In addition, Yuan Shao lowered his status and devoted himself to befriending Yuan Shao. All the scholars were proud to befriend Yuan Shao.
As the next generation head of the Yuan family, although Yuan Ji was a little unhappy, he didn't say much.
But Yuan Shu was like a dog whose tail had been stepped on, furious and looking for trouble for Yuan Shao.
Especially when he saw that Yuan Shao had many contacts, Yuan Shu couldn't help but want to poach Yuan Shao, but he always failed.
Everyone in the hall heard that Yuan Shu had been deprived of all his positions and titles. At the same time, he was asked by Liu Bei to declare him an enemy of the court, and less than half of the counties under his command rebelled in one breath.
The celebrities in Hebei and Henan were dumbfounded by this news, and at the same time they couldn't help but have an idea.
So the emperor can still use it like this?
Yes, these celebrities discovered for the first time that controlling the emperor actually has this benefit.
Even Yuan Shao himself regretted not picking up the driver.
If you could welcome the emperor back to Yecheng and hold it in your own hands, wouldn't you be able to depose other people's magnates?
Thinking of this, Yuan Shao, who was just in a happy mood, turned gloomy.
This means that he finally realized his situation.
Liu Bei and Cao Cao joined forces to directly appeal to the emperor to depose Yuan Shu from his official title.
Then if the two of them join forces to attack themselves, can they still keep the titles of Da Sima and Marquis of Yecheng?
Perhaps because everyone was aware of this, the atmosphere became a little awkward.
On the contrary, the scholars from Hebei faction were quite arrogant as if they had won a great victory.
I asked you to welcome the emperor before, but you didn’t. Now you know you regret it.
Yuan Shao originally had some regrets, but when he saw the proud and proud expressions on the faces of the scholars from Hebei, he felt very unhappy.
Although Yuan Shao still maintained a smile on his face, smart people like Guo Tu, Xun Chen, and Xin Ping could already sense Yuan Shao's displeasure.
"I have summoned you all today to discuss something."
Yuan Shao coughed dryly and asked: "Gentlemen, I would like to report to the court and ask the emperor to remove Gongsun Zan from his title. What do you think?”
Everyone in the hall suddenly realized that this was what Yuan Shao had in mind.
Yuan Shao obviously wanted to copy Liu Bei's work, and use the emperor to remove Gongsun Zan from his title, so that the forces under Gongsun Zan would be alienated from him, so as to divide and disintegrate each other.
Yuan Shao was also helpless. Gongsun Zan was too tough and unyielding.
Working with the Black Mountain bandit Zhang Yan, Yuan Shao was so disgusted that Yuan Shao was so angry that he tried his best to eradicate him.
But so far, this goal has not been achieved.
Seeing that Liu Bei's trick against Yuan Shu seemed to be quite effective, Yuan Shao immediately wanted to imitate it and learn from it.
Yuan Shao thought that this trick was quite effective, but the smart people in both the Hebei and Henan factions thought it was a bit unrealistic.
Apart from anything else, the good relationship between Liu Bei and the Emperor is not comparable to that of Yuan Shao.
To put it bluntly, Yuan Shao is more of a traitor to the emperor than Gongsun Zan.
Gongsun Zan might still be a loyal minister in the eyes of the young emperor. After all, Yuan Shao originally wanted to support Liu Yu as emperor, but Gongsun Zan killed Liu Yu in broad daylight.
In this regard, Jushou, Xunchen and others just felt that Yuan Shao was too confident.
Even if the little emperor has no power and is easy to fool, what do Cao Cao and Liu Bei think?
Changing places, they don't want Yuan Shao to speed up the unification of Hebei.
Especially Cao Cao, this time he almost broke up with Yuan Shao over the matter of money and food in Hebei.
Yuan Shao sometimes thinks too optimistically when thinking about problems. This may also be a common problem for people who come from a famous family.
They have been cared for and cared for from all aspects since they were young, so that when they look at things, they will consider the best-case scenario instead of preparing for the worst-case scenario.
(End of this chapter)