I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 317 Governor of Bingzhou

Yuan Ji found Yuan Shao's words to be quite reasonable and nodded repeatedly, his smile as bright as a chrysanthemum.

“That’s right, that’s right. If that’s the case, then I really won’t worry. If he goes to Bingzhou, Luoyang will be left undefended. As long as I get to Luoyang, I can take action immediately. When he comes back… or if he doesn’t come back at all, then I can rest easy.”

Yuan Shao nodded repeatedly, his smile as delightful as the scent of a devil's tongue.

“What you say is very true, brother. I don’t know what Zijia was thinking. He’s perfectly fine in Luoyang, but he insists on going to Bingzhou. I heard that my uncle tried his best to dissuade him, but he insisted on going. My uncle couldn’t persuade him otherwise, so he was forced to agree.”

He may have thought that he was invincible after winning a battle, but little did he know that the Xianbei were fierce and powerful, with as many as 100,000 archers. Their leader, Tan Shihuai, was quite capable in both literature and military affairs. Over the years, many insightful people had fought against them in the northern frontier, but to no avail, which shows how formidable they were!
Although Zijia is talented, he lacks experience. Compared to a cunning and ruthless bandit like Tan Shihuai, he is far too inexperienced. A slight misstep could lead to total defeat, and he might even die in the northern frontier. I think this is why my uncle was in such a hurry to arrange Zijia's marriage.

Yuan Ji was taken aback at first, but then he immediately realized what was happening, and his face turned frosty.

"It seems that Father still loves Zijia very much. Knowing that it is dangerous for Zijia to go north, in order not to repeat the mistakes of Uncle, he let Zijia get married and have children first, and then go to the northern frontier, so as to leave an heir. Father's love for his son is so deep, it is truly enviable!"

Yuan Ji's words sounded nice, but his tone was so cold it sent chills down Yuan Shao's spine. He suddenly felt as if the temperature around him had dropped, and goosebumps rose on his skin.

Where does the chill come from on such a hot day?

Yuan Shao couldn't figure out where the cold air came from, but he understood that Yuan Ji had decided to fight Yuan Shu to the end and would never sit idly by while he seized the position of heir.

In this way, Yuan Shao could confidently assist Yuan Ji in becoming the final victor.

After Yuan Ji's victory, whether he wanted to live a luxurious and decadent life of power or go further and seek real ruling power, anything was possible, and anything could be imagined.

Therefore, we must take down Yuan Shu now!
After Yuan Ji and Yuan Shao made their agreement, they called Chen Xiang and Yuan Shao's brother-in-law Li Zan to discuss the matter, to see who else they could win over, and then take the initiative to search for reliable people.

While Yuan Shu was preoccupied with his personal affairs, they decided to catch up and try to narrow the gap between them.

To be fair, their assumptions were correct, their methods were not wrong, their approach was not problematic, and even Yuan Shu's actions were not unexpected.

Yuan Shu originally thought that this purely political marriage would not involve any passion or love, and at most it would be two people who were obsessed with good looks huddling together for warmth and comfort. However, after one night, he found that the situation was not like that at all.

He discovered that his compatibility with Du Ning and Du Yue was astonishing, even surpassing that with Xiu Xiu, Chun Lian, and Qiu Tong.

In other words, Du Ning and Du Yue's bodies seemed to be tailor-made for him. His body was so satisfied with their bodies that it was practically screaming with delight, and their bodies were just as satisfied with his body that they were practically taking off.

Moreover, because he had defeated Du Ning by fighting two opponents on their wedding night, Du Ning eventually got used to such multi-person battles.

Even if Du Yue were to withdraw from the battlefield, she would still be afraid that she wouldn't be able to withstand Yuan Shu's excessive firepower.

From the second day until the fifth day after their marriage, apart from doing some work according to the rules of etiquette, Yuan Shu and Du Ning spent the rest of their time either sleeping, eating, going to the toilet, chatting, or fighting each other.

Of course, Du Ning alone was no match for Yuan Shu, so Du Yue would join in as well. After five days of such absurdity, Yuan Shu, Du Ning, and Du Yue emerged from the bridal chamber as if they had lost their memories, saw the sun again, and began to resume their normal routines.

Yuan Shu was deeply impressed by the advantages of youth, while Du Ning was also deeply impressed by the wonder of fate.

Who could believe that a selected high-end cargo could find such a destined owner?
In the past few days, Du Ning has been completely subdued by Yuan Shu. Because they are so close, even to the point of being in a negative position, the two have quickly become familiar with each other. During their truce, they would confide in each other and tell each other about their experiences over the years, thus reaching a point where there are no secrets between husband and wife.

Yuan Shu recounted his long-standing experiences to Du Ning and Du Yue, and in turn, learned from them about their simple, uneventful daily lives. The novelty, excitement, and fun that marriage brought far exceeded Yuan Shu's previous expectations. He hadn't even imagined that the chemistry between him and his servant would be so wonderful. Indeed, the world is a vast and wondrous place.

However, Yuan Shu was ultimately a rational person. After his youthful body was completely emptied, he naturally entered a state of wisdom, able to regain his lost rationality and let his intelligence take over again.

Then he was a little embarrassed to find that when his subordinates and friends saw him again, their expressions were particularly ambiguous, and some people were full of admiration and envy. He didn't know what they were thinking.

Yuan Shu blushed, but because of his rich experience and thick skin, he soon forgot about it.

Who hasn't been foolish in their youth?

Since it's such a joyous occasion as a wedding, what's wrong with taking a few days of honeymoon leave?

Was there any violation?

He calmly accepted any gazes that held different meanings, and returned to the training camp with his head held high, resuming his inspection of the army's formation and training.

Clearly, Lu Zhi is a very capable and conscientious deputy. During Yuan Shu's honeymoon, he continued to diligently oversee the work in the army, take charge of the army's training tasks, and further improve the army's organization.

He has already completed many tasks that Yuan Shu had not finished before, which makes Yuan Shu very happy.

"It seems that within three months we can give this army at least the minimum combat capability. Then we won't be at a loss when we head north to Bingzhou. Who knows, we might run into the Xianbei again to raid us as soon as we head north. At that time, it might be a tough battle."

Lu Zhi agreed with Yuan Shu's view.

"That's why I've ordered all officers to intensify their training of soldiers and not to slack off. But Zijia, we only have five thousand cavalry. Isn't that a bit too few? The Xianbei have a hundred thousand archers, and they are strong and well-equipped. If we want to fight against them, a mere five thousand cavalry will not be easy."

Yuan Shu shook his head.

"Unless Tan Shihuai concentrates all his forces and fights to the death to march south, he will never let us face 100,000 Xianbei cavalry alone. Even if they can mobilize, they probably won't have enough equipment or arrows, so we don't need to worry about that. But there is still a possibility of 20,000 to 30,000 Xianbei cavalry, and we must be wary of that."

What I'm thinking is that we don't have that much time to train soldiers who can't ride horses to become cavalry. We need cavalry that can go to the battlefield as soon as possible. As you saw, when we were recruiting soldiers before, there weren't many people who were skilled in archery and horsemanship. I felt very lucky to be able to recruit 5,000 people, let alone others.

If they aren't skilled enough in archery and horsemanship, it's best not to send them to the battlefield to face the Xianbei. As for the missing personnel, they can be recruited locally in Bingzhou. The border residents of Bingzhou have long interacted and fought with various nomadic tribes, so there are definitely many skilled in archery and horsemanship. Recruiting those with a foundation and providing them with training will allow the army to form faster and become more powerful.

Lu Zhi thought for a moment and then slowly nodded.

“That would be a good idea. Back in my hometown, many of my fellow villagers were skilled in riding and archery, and quite a few were proficient in both. If it is the same in Youzhou, it should be even more so in Bingzhou. If we can recruit some soldiers locally in Bingzhou, that would be a good choice.”

Thinking this, Lu Zhi suddenly remembered something else.

"By the way, Zijia, have you discussed with Minister Yuan what position you would be assigned to Bingzhou?"

Yuan Shu nodded.

“We discussed it before. Originally, I planned to be promoted to Governor of Bingzhou. With the position of Governor of Bingzhou and General of the Rear, I could command the military affairs of Bingzhou. However, Minister Yuan believed that the position of Governor of Bingzhou was not enough for me to unite the forces of Bingzhou to fight against the Xianbei. He was worried that the officials of Bingzhou would hold me back. So he was considering whether to grant me the position of Governor of Bingzhou.”

(End of this chapter)