Ji Han Liu Zhang

The Yuan family is a friendly and respectful group of brothers? !
Everyone present at the meeting couldn't help but smile knowingly, and some even laughed softly.

It's strange to say, the Yuan family is a family that has passed down Confucian classics and is an upright family. But now, first Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu are fighting each other to the death, without caring about the friendship between the same clan at all.

Now, Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, who were brothers, started fighting with each other over the position of the successor. You formed gangs and I formed factions, and swords and spears were used against brothers. There was no sign of brotherhood at all.

Three officials in four generations, the family tradition of Confucian classics, a noble family background, and high moral integrity, ultimately became a joke and was laughed at by the people of the world.

Amid the laughter of the crowd, Zheng Du thought for a moment and then said, "Brothers Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang are fighting, is there anything we can do here?"

Xun You was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "Although Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang were brothers fighting, they only fought in secret. On the surface, they acted like brothers in harmony in front of Yuan Benchu."

"Also with Yuan Benchu ​​keeping them in check, even though the two of them are fighting, there won't be any major disturbances... Well... if Yuan Benchu ​​dies, the succession issue won't be clear..." Xun You smiled and said, "There will be fun to be had in Hebei. Otherwise, the brothers may fight each other."

Jiang Jiong asked, "Master Xun, how is Yuan Benchu's health?" The safety of the four states in Hebei seemed to depend on Yuan Benchu ​​alone. Jiang Jiong was naturally concerned about Yuan Shao's physical condition.

Xun You replied, "In the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Benchu ​​was ashamed of being defeated by Cao Mengde. He was furious and lost interest. After returning to Yecheng, news spread that Yuan Benchu ​​had a serious illness and had been bedridden for several days."

"Is it important?" This was said by Zheng Du. If Yuan Benchu ​​was critically ill, Hebei would lose its backbone and Yecheng would inevitably be in chaos. At that time, the troops in Guanzhong would take the opportunity to advance eastward and Hebei would be easy to capture.

"Not very important."

Xun You’s answer made Zheng Du look disappointed.

"Yuan Benchu ​​has always been in good health. Although he has an acute illness this time, it is not due to his body, but the illness is caused by his heart. He has been lying in bed for several days, and with the help of the doctor, he is now able to go out and attend to affairs." Xun You spoke slowly, clearly and briefly explaining Yuan Shao's physical condition.

"However, Yuan Benchu ​​was blocked by Yubi last year and defeated at Guandu this year. He has encountered many difficulties. He is also old and his spirit is not as good as before. He is not as high-spirited as he was when he conquered Heishan and attacked Gongsun. He is like a hero in his twilight years, but a warrior is no longer strong."

Xun You speculated and inferred: "If he suffers a few more defeats and has trouble in his actions, Yuan Benchu ​​is a man who values ​​face and knows shame. By then, he will be depressed and have bad luck. It is expected that he will not live long."

"He has a good reputation and knows shame." Liu Zhang thought Xun You's evaluation of Yuan Shao's personality was spot on.

Yuan Shao was a person who was very concerned about his reputation. For example, in the Battle of Jie Bridge, Yuan Shao was besieged by the cavalry under Gongsun Zan. Tian Feng advised him to take shelter in an empty wall for a while, but Yuan Shao would rather die in battle than hide. Another example is that after the Battle of Guandu in history, Yuan Shao actually sent his troops to vomit blood, which was a symptom of shame and anger.

Otherwise, if Yuan Shao had been as free and easy as Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, and had not fallen ill and died after the defeat in the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao might not have been able to take Hebei, and the ownership of the world at the end of the Han Dynasty would still be a matter of debate.

After discussing the affairs in Hebei, the topic turned to Jingyang. Nothing major happened in Jingzhou and Jiangdong. It was nothing more than Sun Ce going upstream and attacking Jiangxia. The two sides had been fighting in Jiangxia for several years and neither could do anything to the other, and it was still the same this year.

Although Sun Ce was brave, he could not march upstream, and the water flow was not convenient. Although Liu Biao was old, he was not corrupt. He was a weak tiger and could not be easily defeated. He was more than capable of protecting himself. Sun Ce had no good way to take Jingzhou at the moment. The meeting lasted for a whole morning, and at noon everyone dispersed and went to eat.

"A Xun, among all the princes in the world, who do you think can be a rival to my father?" After everyone dispersed, Liu Zhang asked Liu Xun, who had been listening for a long time, as a test of Liu Xun.

Liu Xun did not answer the question immediately, but frowned and thought for a while. After a while, he replied: "Yuan Benchu ​​controls Hebei and has a strong army, but he is old and his descendants are not harmonious, so he is unable to make long-term plans."

"Cao Mengde holds the emperor hostage and commands the princes. He has good plans and strategies, but the Central Plains is surrounded by wars on all sides, and there are many loyal ministers and righteous men in the court who do not obey him. He is worried at home and threatened outside."

"As for the likes of Liu Jingsheng and Sun Bofu, they lived in the lowly and humid land of Jingyang, so it was difficult for them to achieve great success."

"So, in my humble opinion, my father now controls the land of Qin, which is comparable to the powerful Qin. He can attack when he advances and defend when he retreats. He has the opportunity to fight, and no one can match him. Therefore, among all the princes in the world, no one can be his opponent."

Liu Zhang laughed out loud. He reminded Liu Xun: "Success or failure cannot be said explicitly. Today's advantage may turn into tomorrow's disadvantage. The chance of victory or defeat is always changing. It is often decided in a matter of seconds. You cannot say anything absolutely. You need to be cautious."

"As for our opponents, Yuan Benchu ​​and Cao Mengde are both capable of fighting against my father. We should not underestimate them."

"Father, what you taught me is true. I will remember it in my heart." Liu Xun responded in a dignified manner.

With his eyes half closed, Liu Zhang began to think. In this year's war between Yuan and Cao, he benefited from it. It was a situation of prosperity and prosperity. His reputation was three times more famous than that of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

In such a situation, as Liu Xun said, he is just like the powerful Qin in the past. It is possible that Yuan Shao and Cao Cao will take into account the past affairs of the six countries and make plans to form an alliance to avoid the two powers fighting and the situation that Qin will benefit from it again.

Unite!

The strength of the united Guandong was certainly stronger than that of Liu Zhang, but Liu Zhang did not worry too much about the possibility of an alliance.

Firstly, in the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao did not end up with all his 70,000 troops wiped out. Most of the Hebei troops that went south returned to Hebei safely. Yuan Shao's strength was not greatly weakened, and on paper he was still the number one warlord in the world.

Secondly, Yuan Shao was humiliated and angry after the defeat at Guandu, and he probably hated Cao Cao to the core. Under such circumstances, Yuan Shao would not have given up his dignity and joined forces with Cao Cao. If he didn't care about his dignity, he would not be Yuan Shao. It is easy to change the country, but it is difficult to change one's nature.

Looking at the snow scene outside, another year is coming to an end, and time quickly comes to the sixth year of Jian'an.

At the beginning of the year, Liu Zhang received a message from Xun You that a young man, or a teenager, had come to Chang'an. His surname was Ma, his name was Liang, and his courtesy name was Jichang. He was from Yicheng, Xiangyang.

Ma's Wuchang, the white-browed one is the best. (End of this chapter)