I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 319 Yuan Wei dislikes Yuan Shao

Speaking of which, Yuan Shu felt that he and Dong Zhuo were somewhat destined to meet.

Previously, when Dong Zhuo was in Guanzhong, he was under the command of General Zhang Huan and had come to rescue Maoling County together. The two had met once.

Afterwards, Dong Zhuo was promoted and successively served as the magistrate of Guangwu County in Yanmen Commandery of Bing Province, the Northern Commandant of Shu Commandery in Yi Province, and the Commandant of the Western Regions.

Then, the political situation changed drastically. Zhang Huan lost power, and Dong Zhuo was implicated and dismissed from his post. Later, through some unknown means, he gained the appreciation of Yuan Wei.

Yuan Wei, holding the position of Minister of Works, recruited Dong Zhuo as his subordinate and then promoted him. Dong Zhuo was thus able to serve as the Governor of Bing Province, leading troops to guard the border and acting as a northern shield for the court. However, his military achievements were not outstanding, suggesting that he was not good at dealing with the Xianbei people.

Yuan Shu decided to completely reform and manage the northern border defense line. He was going to take up a post in Bingzhou. Whether he became the governor or the prefect of Bingzhou, it would conflict with Dong Zhuo's position. So Yuan Shu asked Yuan Wei to take up the post of Dong Zhuo instead.

Yuan Wei was naturally willing to help his good nephew, but in his eyes, Dong Zhuo was also a brave general who could be regarded as a loyal dog of the Yuan family.

After some deliberation, he decided to reassign Dong Zhuo as the governor of Hedong Commandery, to guard Yuan Shu's rear and protect the logistical channels through which Yuan Shu could obtain supplies from Luoyang.

Dong Zhuo was probably unwilling to directly confront the threat from the Xianbei. Upon hearing that Yuan Shu was willing to take on this mess, he was overjoyed and immediately agreed. He quickly replied to Yuan Kui, saying that as soon as Yuan Shu arrived, he could immediately complete the handover procedures with him.

Then he would quickly go to Hedong County to take up his post, ensuring that he would help Yuan Shu control the logistics and supply lines, and that his men would never go hungry.

The sincerity, enthusiasm, and earnestness in his statement almost overflowed from between the lines.

It is likely that Dong Zhuo's experience in Bingzhou was not pleasant.

Yuan Wei was fully aware of this.

“Dong Zhongying is a smart man, and this incident is also a good thing for him. He can get away from the front line in Bingzhou and the threat of the Xianbei people, and go to the safer Hedong County. With you in charge, I think he is very happy.”

Yuan Wei poured Yuan Shu a cup of honey water, had him sit in front of him, and looked him over with a worried expression.

“Zijia, are you really determined to make a name for yourself in Bingzhou? Bingzhou is dangerous, full of crises, beset by internal and external troubles. Even a fierce general like Dong Zhongying has a hard time dealing with it, let alone you? It’s not too late for you to change your mind now.”

Yuan Shu immediately shook his head.

“Uncle, at this point, how can I do something I will regret? I have made all the preparations, but if I don’t go to Bingzhou now, wouldn’t that be breaking my promise and going back on my word? If I do such a thing, my reputation will be ruined, and how will I have the face to govern the world in the future?”

"You certainly have lofty ambitions, even going so far as to govern the world."

Yuan Wei sighed and said slowly, "It's just that the situation in Bingzhou is really not easy to deal with. I arranged for Dong Zhongying to be stationed in Bingzhou before because I thought he was quite capable in military strategy and wanted him to make contributions and add a capable general to my Yuan family, but he failed to do so."

This shows that the Xianbei people are indeed fierce and warlike, and not easy to deal with. Zijia, although your father has agreed, as your uncle, I still have to say a few more words. If you want to take over your father's position, at the very least, you must live. If something happens to you, how can you govern the world?"

Yuan Shu drank half a cup of honey water and smiled.

He suddenly remembered what Cao Cao had said to him before, thought of Yuan Shao, and then further thought of Yuan Ji.

So, wanting to find out Yuan Wei's opinion, he smiled and spoke.

"If I really die on the frontier, it can only mean that Heaven does not believe I can restore our glorious land. Since that's the case, then I'll accept it. Don't I still have two older brothers? Our Yuan family isn't without capable people, is it?"

"Those two? Capable people?"

Yuan Wei thought for a moment, then looked at Yuan Shu in front of him, sighed, and shook his head repeatedly.

“My own son is useless, and your two elder brothers are probably not much better. Although Ji is the eldest son, he has been mediocre since childhood and is only of average talent. He can be a ruler who maintains the status quo, but not a ruler who can build a new enterprise.”

"Although my Yuan family is currently in power, our authority is not secure. We need a capable person to continue expanding our power and ultimately stabilize it. The difficulties involved are self-evident, and I am simply unable to shoulder this responsibility!"

Yuan Shu was somewhat surprised that Yuan Wei had such a blunt opinion of Yuan Ji.

"My brother isn't that mediocre, is he?"

"That's exactly right!"

Yuan Wei shook his head and said, "If he had even half of your talent, would he still be somewhat unknown? He is your father's eldest son, and the title of Marquis of Anguo will be his in the future. He is the one who will inherit the Yuan family business, so why should he lack fame?"
And the result? The world speaks of your name, not his. He served as county magistrate for three years and prefect for three years; his achievements were mediocre. While he didn't cause any major trouble, he didn't do anything particularly outstanding either. Could anyone expect him to solidify the Yuan family's position?

Yuan Shu thought about it, and realized that his older brother Yuan Ji was indeed that kind of image in his mind.

So he asked again, "If the elder brother is not suitable, isn't there still the second elder brother? Although he has been adopted by the uncle, he is still Father's son."

"And let's not even talk about Shao!"

Yuan Wei continued to shake his head and sighed, "Of the three of you brothers, the one I dislike the most right now is Shao. Actually, I quite liked Shao a while ago, but the older he gets, the more inexperienced he becomes. Of the three of you brothers, Shao's knowledge is the shallowest, but his temperament is the most eccentric and unruly. He can't concentrate on his studies, and he can't persevere in his martial arts practice. As a result, he is neither good at literature nor martial arts, and he is not up to the task of achieving great things."

Good heavens, you've criticized Yuan Shao and Yuan Ji as utterly worthless?
Yuan Shuzhen didn't expect Yuan Wei to be so direct about the two of them, so she continued to question Yuan Wei.

“Brother Zhong isn’t so incompetent, is he? I’ve heard that you have some reputation among the partisans and some people follow you. Aren’t you now a prefect with a salary of two thousand piculs? Given time, if you build up your power, you might be able to achieve great things.” “You are famous because your wife, Lady Li, is the daughter of Li Ying, and you are a prefect because your surname is Yuan.”

Yuan Wei looked at him with a disappointed expression and said, "Just like my good-for-nothing sons, asking them to do anything is like asking them to harm them. They don't do anything important, but they are good at stealing and cheating, without thinking about the consequences at all!"
On one occasion, he even conspired with Cao Song's son to steal a bride from someone, nearly getting beaten to death by the family members who chased after them, mistaking them for human traffickers. He was willing to put himself in danger for such a ridiculous act, completely disregarding the consequences. I see no ability in him to stabilize the situation!

Yuan Shu scratched his cheek, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Well, Uncle, actually I've done quite a few outrageous things too..."

“You are different. You do things with purpose and plan. You won’t put yourself in danger for any absurd thing. Besides, you have many helpers.”

Yuan Wei sighed, "Although I find many of the things you do dangerous, they are all worthwhile matters. If done well, they will yield results and bring many benefits, so taking some risks is worthwhile. But what benefits can you gain by stealing someone else's bride? And you almost lost your life for it. It's truly absurd!"

Yuan Shu lowered his head, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Being praised to your face, while simultaneously putting down your two brothers, it's impossible not to feel awkward, but there's also a strange sense of satisfaction...

Yuan Shu composed himself and looked at Yuan Wei.

"Uncle, since you know that I have a purpose and a plan in everything I do, please don't stop me, okay?"

Yuan Wei looked at Yuan Shu for a while, then picked up the kettle and filled it with honey water for Yuan Shu.

"So I didn't stop you, but helped you coordinate with all parties. I advised you only because I didn't want the Yuan family to lose such an excellent heir. Given the Yuan family's current situation, you are the only one who is the best heir for your father. So I advised your father to depose the eldest son and establish the younger son as heir a long time ago."

"Eunuchs, partisans, and scholars are no match for you. If you can inherit your father's position and live a few more decades, the Yuan family will surely achieve great things. But without you, I am truly worried that the Yuan family's foundation will not last long..."

Yuan Wei was genuinely worried about the Yuan clan, and everything he did was indeed for the sake of the Yuan clan; he had a very family-oriented mindset.

Therefore, he frankly evaluated the next generation of the Yuan family, including Yuan Ji and Yuan Shao, and then stubbornly believed that Yuan Shucai was the one who could lead the Yuan family to its peak glory.

Yuan Shu does not deny some of his views, but his thinking has long since transcended the family-style thinking and is no longer limited to this area.

However, Yuan Wei was unaware of this.

After leaving Yuan Wei's residence, Yuan Shu went to the palace and told Yuan Feng about the matter.

Upon learning this, Yuan Feng made up his mind and decided to appoint Yuan Shu as the governor of Bingzhou, entrusting him with all the power of Bingzhou so that he could take charge of all the power and fight against the Xianbei with all his might.

"Even the governor of a prefecture cannot mobilize the prefects of various counties, and your subordinates cannot assume such an important responsibility in the short term. Therefore, if you take on the position of governor first, you can also use the money, grain and troops of Shangdang County and Taiyuan County in a reasonable manner, and local officials must also cooperate with you."

Currently, over 70% of Bingzhou's funds, provisions, and military strength are concentrated in these two counties. There are also many powerful clans in the area. However, if you were the governor of Bingzhou, I worry that many would outwardly comply but inwardly defy you. If you were the prefect, that would be different. Therefore, you can proceed with your duties freely and achieve results as quickly as possible.”

Yuan Shu was very pleased and immediately nodded, bowing to Yuan Feng.

"I will certainly live up to my father's expectations!"

"it is good."

Yuan Feng smiled and nodded, looking at his son who was growing tall and strong every day. While feeling proud, he also felt a sense of worry.

"Your journey to Bingzhou will be fraught with difficulties and dangers. Your father will not be by your side, so you must take good care of yourself, understand?"

Yuan Shu nodded.

"Father, don't worry, I'm eighteen years old now, I'm an adult, I'll take good care of myself."

"That's what they say, but if war breaks out, you'll definitely be charging into battle again!"

Yuan Feng frowned, reached out and grasped Yuan Shu's hand, staring at him as he said, "This time, you must swear before your father that you will never personally charge into battle. If you don't swear, your father will not let you go easily!"

Yuan Shu was taken aback, then gave a wry smile.

"First they insisted on having a child before letting me go, and now they want me to go only if I don't have to fight in battle. Father, why don't you just come with me to Bingzhou? That way you can keep an eye on me and make sure I don't do anything reckless."

Yuan Feng was stunned for a moment, and then he actually began to think about it seriously.

"If that's the case, it doesn't seem like it's impossible."

Yuan Shu quickly interrupted his thoughts.

"Father! I was just joking! Alright, alright, I know, I swear, I will never personally charge into battle. You should stay in Luoyang and keep watch! Those party members have only temporarily ceased their attacks; they haven't admitted defeat yet. They will definitely have other methods later. Luoyang cannot do without you!"

Yuan Shu's words are indeed correct. The party has only suffered a temporary defeat, and they will definitely cause trouble again later. Yuan Shu is about to go north to be stationed in Bingzhou. If Yuan Feng is not in Luoyang, who will keep order?
Yuan Feng also put aside his other thoughts, patted Yuan Shu's hand, and told him to take care of himself.

(End of this chapter)