I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 869 Opportunity
"You asked me to protect Lujiang?"

Yuan Shao was deeply moved by Lu Jun's words, but he remained calm: "Why do you say that, nephew?"

"Mr. Yuan is wise."

Lu Jun bowed and said:
"Now that the general has pacified the north, the whole world is in shock. Yuan Shu knows that a disaster is coming and is terrified."

"He was afraid that the general would attack us after he returned to rest, so he tried to take the initiative and seize the land in Jianghuai in order to save his life."

"The local aristocratic families in Jiangnan were mostly won over by his sweet talk, and they watched the fire from the other side of the river, turning a blind eye to the actions of the thief Yuan Shu."

"My father was the governor of Lujiang. He always upheld the orthodoxy of the imperial court and would never go along with traitors like Yuan Shu. As a result, he became a thorn in Yuan Shu's side."

"Not long ago, he led 100,000 troops to attack Lujiang, so my father ordered me to quickly head north to report to the court and seek support from Lord Yuan!"

My goodness, the prefect of Lujiang is still insisting on the orthodoxy of the court?

Yuan Shao felt mixed emotions. He had originally thought that Lu Kang was coming to him for help, but he had never expected that he was coming to ask for help, and he was asking for support from the imperial court. This made Yuan Shao a little embarrassed.

Although it was true that he was the governor of Nanyang appointed by the imperial court, and that he and Su Yao often fought side by side, the two of them were at most allies who each got what they needed, and he, Yuan Benchu, could never be that guy's vassal.

Now the governor of Lujiang asked for help and asked him to send his own troops to defend the territory for the court. Even if it was to fight against Yuan Shu, he would naturally be unhappy if there was no benefit.

Yuan Shao pretended to be silent for a moment, then said that he was also willing but unable to help. Although he could not help, he could send someone to escort him to Luoyang. He also suggested that he try to find a relationship with Liu Biao.

After all, my Nanyang is far away from Lujiang, and Liu Biao's Jiangxia is right next to Lujiang. If anyone is to contribute, it should be Liu Biao of Jingzhou who should contribute.

When Lu Jun heard that Yuan Shao was trying to shirk his responsibility, he immediately became anxious. He eagerly stated that he had naturally looked for Liu Biao, but Liu Biao just kept on flattering them and did not do any real work. Moreover, their people had found out that it seemed that Liu Biao was secretly colluding with Yuan Shu.

"Oh? Liu Biao is colluding with Yuan Shu? Is this true?" Yuan Shao asked in surprise.

Lu Jun nodded heavily, took out a secret letter from his pocket and presented it to him:
"Mr. Yuan, please take a look. This is the transcript of the secret correspondence between Yuan Shu and Liu Biao that we intercepted. Liu Biao appears to be neutral, but in fact he is secretly providing Yuan Shu with food and fodder, intending to use him to weaken our Lujiang, so as to pave the way for the annexation of Jiangdong in the future!"

Yuan Shao took the secret letter and read it carefully. The more he read, the more frightened he became.

In the letter, Liu Biao actually promised that as long as Yuan Shu captured Lujiang, he would recognize Yuan Shu's position as the governor of Yangzhou, and the two families would share the Jianghuai area.

"Well, Liu Jingsheng is so ignorant of his own life!" Yuan Shao laughed immediately.

This scene stunned Lu Jun and others. Chen Lin coughed a few times when he saw it, and Yuan Shao then realized that he had lost his composure.

"Don't worry, nephew. I will not sit idly by and watch this matter!"

"However, our army has just conquered Nanyang and is running low on food and grass. If we want to march to Lujiang, what should we do?"

Lu Jun understood and immediately cupped his hands: "If Lord Yuan can lend a hand, I, Lujiang, am willing to pay taxes for three years and open Wancheng as Lord Yuan's naval base."

"Oh?" Yuan Shao's eyes lit up. The Lu family was a famous family in Jiangdong. If they could form an alliance, it would be of great benefit to his layout in the south. More importantly, with Lujiang as a springboard, he might be able to
Thinking of this, Yuan Shao suddenly came up with a plan and laughed, "Great! Since Governor Lu is so sincere, how can I, Yuan Benchu, stand by and watch him die?"

After saying this, Yuan Shao turned to Chen Lin, his eyes gleaming:
"Kong Zhang, quickly prepare a generous gift. I will personally write a letter to the general, presenting the crimes of Yuan Shu and Liu Biao to the court, and ask him to quickly send troops to help me fight Yuan Shu!"

"What does this mean, Lord Yuan?"

After Lu Jun left, Chen Lin immediately asked Yuan Shao in confusion.

This famous scholar did not follow Yuan Shao's pace at all, and could not understand why he refused at first and then suddenly agreed. Lu Kang was a member of the imperial court, and there was no benefit in helping him. It would be better to leave it to the general to worry about. They could continue to develop well in Nanyang. Why should they personally send troops and exhaust their troops on the expedition?
Even if we win, we will just have to pay taxes for a few years and get a military port that we only have the right to use. This is nothing compared to the risks of war.

What if an accident occurs during the battle and one is seriously injured? Wouldn't that be a loss without gain?
"Kong Zhang doesn't know this."

Yuan Shao stroked his beard and smiled, with a shrewd gleam in his eyes:
"On the surface, this expedition is to suppress the rebellion of the imperial court, but in fact, it has a hidden agenda."

He lowered his voice and continued:
"Now that Su Yao has pacified the north, his next step will definitely be to point his sword towards the south."

"So instead of waiting for him to attack, we should take the initiative. Lu Kang's request for help is a godsend. If we can take advantage of this opportunity and use the excuse of attacking Yuan Shu to expand our influence to the Jianghuai area, then we will have Nanyang, Runan and Lujiang in our hands, and we can attack or defend."

"If Su Yao attacks, we can rely on the local geographical advantages to deal with him; if he does not move, we can take the opportunity to annex Jiangdong and strengthen our strength!"

Chen Lin suddenly realized:
"Mr. Yuan, that's a good idea! This way, we can not only gain practical benefits, but also gain a reputation as a loyal minister in the court. It's like killing two birds with one stone!"

Yuan Shao nodded proudly:

"That's right, and"

There was a sly glint in his eyes:
"I, Yuan Benchu, am marrying off my daughter, so the dowry must be considerable. You see how valuable Yuan Shu's head is. I am giving this gift as a dowry to Su Yao. Can he still refuse me?"

"Great!" Chen Lin clapped his hands in praise, "Mr. Yuan's plan can be said to kill three birds with one stone!"

Yuan Shao laughed loudly, then said seriously:

"Without further delay, Kong Zhang will immediately write two letters for me. One letter will be sent to the court, bitterly expounding on the crimes of Yuan Shu and Liu Biao and asking the court to send troops to help me. The other letter will be sent privately to Su Yao, expressing my intention to form a marriage alliance with the Yuan family."

"Yes!" Chen Lin bowed and turned to leave.

After Chen Lin left, Yuan Shao stood alone in the hall, looking at the map hanging on the wall, muttering to himself:

"Su Yao, ah Su Yao, I, Yuan Benchu, will never submit to anyone!"

A few days later, Luoyang Palace.

The Wannian Empress walked slowly into the hall with her big belly, supported by palace maids.

She looked at Yuan Shao's memorial in her hand and frowned slightly:

"This Yuan Benchu ​​really knows how to pick the right time."

Hong'er beside him asked softly:
"Your Majesty, Yuan Shao is here to ask for help. How should we respond?"

The Wannian Empress paused, pondered for a moment, and said slowly:
"The general said that Yuan Shao is an ambitious man and is definitely not someone who would be content to be inferior to others."

"He volunteered to attack Yuan Shu this time, there must be some ulterior motive behind it, but..."

She gently stroked her abdomen, with a hint of tenderness in her eyes:
"The general is about to return victoriously. We should wait until he returns to discuss military and national affairs."

Hong'er nodded: "Your Majesty is wise. But there is news that Yuan Shao seems to want to marry the general."

"Marriage?" Wannian raised his eyebrows, feeling very surprised.

(End of this chapter)