Han officials

Chapter 179 Pie in the Sky [25]

The one who stopped Wei Zhe outside the county government office was Rao Yu, the nephew of Yuyang prefect Rao Bin.

In addition, there were Zhu Ze, the Gongcao of Liaoxi County, and Jian Kun, the chief clerk of Youbeiping.

"General Zuo, Gongsun Bogui is truly too presumptuous and lawless."

Before Wei Zhe's horse, Zhu Ze cried with a sorrowful face, "The Gongsun clan of your lineage was already arrogant, and now with his support, they no longer take the county government seriously. If this continues, Youzhou might even change its name to Gongsun!"

Hearing this, Rao Yu nodded vigorously and immediately agreed: "That's very true."

Rao Yu complained with a look of grief and indignation, "Before leaving, the envoy had made plans for the county's fishing and salt production, but Gongsun Zan completely disregarded them. Furthermore, under the pretext of suppressing Dong Zhuo, he forced his way through Yuyang County, harassing the surrounding areas and allowing his troops to plunder. Although they are called Han troops, their actions are no different from those of the barbarians."

Hearing this, Wei Zhe was not too surprised.

After all, he had long known that Gongsun Zan was not only cruel and ruthless to the Hu people, but also showed no mercy to his own people.

In his eyes, the Han people were probably not as valuable as the Hu people's horses.

If this kind of killer were to live in a peaceful era, he might be suppressed by the court and would hide his edge internally and be bloodthirsty externally.

But now that the Han Dynasty is crumbling, Gongsun Zan naturally lost his scruples.

However, Yuyang County and Liaoxi County were not too miserable. The real miserable one was Youbeiping County.

After all, it was Liu Yu who ordered Gongsun Zan to lead more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry to station in Youbeiping to intimidate the Hu Lu.

The history of Youbeiping County actually has a long history. It was established during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

Later, Liu Bang became emperor and the Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system, and there were even sixteen counties under the name of Youbeiping County.

However, after Emperor Guangwu's restoration, the territory of Youbeiping County was greatly reduced due to the invasion of Wuhuan and Xianbei.

To what extent will it be reduced?

Haha~ Only four counties remain: Tuyin County, Wuzhong County, Xuwu County, and Junmi County.

In other words, the current Youbeiping County was just the southwestern corner of the county during the Western Han Dynasty.

However, such a reduction is not obvious in the entire territory of the Han Dynasty.

After all, from Liaodong to the Western Regions, from Shuofang County to Rinan County, the territory of the entire Han Dynasty was shrinking.

Under such circumstances, one can imagine the importance of Gongsun Zan in Youbeiping.

For example, at this moment, Jian Kun, the chief clerk of Youbeiping, came to Wei Zhe for help.

Because the Youbeiping prefect Nanjie had been completely marginalized by Gongsun Zan, the county government was full of Gongsun Zan's people.

The four counties almost became a place for Gongsun Zan's army to find food.

Even the life and death of the Youbeiping prefect was now in the hands of Gongsun Zan, and he was placed under house arrest in the county government.

In addition, many children of prominent families in Youzhou came forward to complain.

For example, the Juyonghou family of Shanggu County, the Kou family of Changping, the Quanzhou Yang family of Yuyang County, and the Yongnu Xianyu family were all famous families in the county and were well-known for generations.

Among them, the Juyong Marquis family was descended from Situ Houba, and the Changping Kou family was even more famous. After Emperor Guangwu established the country, Kou Xun was granted the title of Yongnu Marquis and appointed as the Prefect of the Guards for his meritorious service. Later, Kou Xun's brothers, brother's sons, and sister's sons were all granted the title of marquis for their military merits, and one of them married a princess. It was not until the reign of Emperor Huan that the Kou family gradually declined.

However, even so, his son Kou Feng later became Liu Bei's adopted son.

As for the two families in Yuyang County, neither of them is simple.

Not to mention those from far back in history, the Quanzhou Yang family also had the former Grand Commandant Yang Qiu and the former Liaodong Prefect Yang Zhong in modern times.

The Yongnu Xianyu clan was no less powerful, with generations of officials holding 2,000 stones each. It was only during the reign of Emperor Huan that their clan declined. However, in every generation, there were many clan members who became county magistrates and county officials.

At this moment, in front of Wei Zhe, Xianyu Fu, who had once worked for the provincial government, was seen indignantly saying, "Gongsun Zan is a thief with wicked ambitions, just like Zhang Chun! If we don't get rid of him, Youzhou will never be at peace. I beg General Zuo to seek justice."

Wei Zhe, though sympathetic, said helplessly, "Although Gongsun Bogui has misbehaved, he is, after all, a Cavalry Commandant appointed by the court. I am only the Governor of Liaodong. How can I reward or punish him? Please return!"

Unexpectedly, Jian Kun, Xian Yu Fu and the others exchanged glances and suddenly bowed in unison, saying, "We are willing to welcome Duke Wei as governor and restore peace to Youzhou!"

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in front of the county government.

Whether it was the Liaodong officials behind Wei Zhe or the Liaodong people around him, they were all shocked when they heard this.

But everyone soon realized what was happening, and looked at Wei Zhe expectantly. As the saying goes: When one person prospers, everyone else prospers.

If Wei Zhe becomes the governor of Youzhou, then these people will be able to benefit to some extent.

At the same time, Wei Zhe was also shocked when he heard this.

Wei Zhe admitted that for a moment he was indeed moved.

But Wei Zhe quickly calmed down, and in front of everyone, he shook his head firmly and said, "No, this violates the Three Mutuals Law. You should choose someone else!"

Seeing Wei Zhe decline, Jian Kun and the others were not surprised. Xianyu Fu even stepped forward and said passionately, "General Zuo, you are wrong! What do you want to do? Do you want to bring in outsiders and disrupt our land? This is a different time. In this chaotic situation, how can you not be flexible?"

His words seemed to be a refutation of Wei Zhe, but in fact they were a roundabout way of flattering him.

Seeing this, Jian Kun hurried forward and said earnestly, "General Zuo is a hero. If you become the Marquis of Youzhou, you will surely protect your hometown and restore peace to Youzhou. For the sake of the people of Youzhou, please do not refuse!"

Outside the county government office, this group of people were seen persuading each other one by one.

However, just when they thought Wei Zhe would agree, they unexpectedly found that Wei Zhe went back home on his own.

Even though Jian Kun and others begged him from behind, Wei Zhe remained unmoved.

Watching Wei Zhe's back gradually disappear into the distance, Xian Yu Fu thought for a moment and then said, "Don't worry, come back tomorrow."

In his opinion, Wei Zhe might just be concerned about his reputation, so he didn't accept it immediately.

Since that’s the case, they might as well save Wei Zhe’s face and make three requests and three resignations.

……

Let’s not talk about what Xianyu Fu and others think.

After returning to the county government, Shi Yi finally couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you follow the will of the people?"

Hua Xin nodded slightly upon hearing this: "At this moment, there is really no need to stick to the Three Interactions Method."

They all thought so, not to mention Taishi Ci, Xu Rong and others.

In Taishi Ci's view, this was a great opportunity that came right to his doorstep, and Wei Zhe could take advantage of it to seize Youzhou.

After all, they not only have a good reputation, but also have strength.

However, Guo Yuan and Xi Zhicai never spoke.

Seeing that everyone in the hall was talking at random, Wei Zhe did not interrupt.

Only when everyone had almost finished discussing it did he look at Guo Yuan and ask, "Zini, what do you think?"

Guo Yuan thought about it after hearing this, and immediately said seriously: "This group must be colluding in private!"

The civil and military officials in the hall were all surprised when they heard this, but they did not expect Guo Yuan's focus to be so strange.

However, Xi Zhicai nodded upon hearing this and said, "Indeed, these people claim to be denouncing Gongsun Zan, but in reality they have other plans."

Although some things were not convenient to say, Wei Zhe still understood the hidden meaning of the two people's words.

That is to say, the position of Youzhou Mu is not so easy to accept.

There is honey in this pie that falls from the sky, but there may also be a sting.

Then, Wei Zhe smiled and ordered his servants to serve wine to Guo Yuan and Xi Zhicai, and they drank a glass together.

Seeing this, the other people in the hall were suddenly puzzled.

What kind of riddle is this?

Seeing this, Taishi Ci simply asked in confusion: "Even if Xianyu Fu and the others secretly colluded, it wouldn't be a big deal, right?"

"No, no!" Xi Zhicai chuckled and said, "Taking Youzhou is as easy as taking something out of a bag, so why do you need them to welcome you? There is a lot of mystery in this."

"Name and reality must not be confused!" Guo Yuan nodded upon hearing this and said, "Military victory is external, righteousness is internal, authority is established above, and the people obey below."

After hearing what the two said, Wei Zhe knew that they had indeed seen through him, and his smile suddenly became even brighter...

(End of this chapter)