Han officials

Chapter 188: Loyalty Over Death [12]

The day after the Yecheng mutiny, in the lobby of the governor's mansion.

Yuan Shao was seen sitting high above Han Fu's seat in the past, and almost all the civil and military officials in the hall were unfamiliar faces.

However, Yuan Shao, who successfully captured Ye City, had no joy of victory at this moment, and his face was filled with gloom.

Seeing this situation, Xu You naturally knew what Yuan Shao was worried about.

Therefore, without waiting for Yuan Shao to speak, Xu You took the initiative to step forward and said, "My lord, you should mourn for your loss! Since Wenjie has passed away from a sudden illness, we should take care of his affairs. Moreover, he entrusted Jizhou to us, so you should take good care of yourself. Only in this way can you not let Wenjie down!"

When these words were spoken, the civil and military officials who knew the inside story were all stunned.

However, Xun Chen and Guo Tu were the first to react and nodded slightly.

At this point, this is the only thing we can do.

Yuan Shao on the stage also understood what Xu You meant and his expression immediately became much better.

He immediately said with a sad look on his face, "That makes sense. I'll have to trouble Ziyuan with this matter."

After Xu You bowed and accepted the order, Yuan Shao could not help but sigh: "Having Ziyuan is like having a fish in water!"

Upon hearing this, Xu You immediately stroked his beard and smiled proudly, accepting it calmly.

Guo Tu, who was standing by, couldn't help but frown and feel a little unhappy when he saw this.

Xun Chen's face remained expressionless, but he took the initiative to speak out, "Weijun Shen Pei and Julu Tian Feng are both highly skilled and well-known in the provincial party. They were both denied their positions by Han Fu because of their integrity. Your Excellency should courteously recruit them."

As Xun Yu's elder brother, Xun Chen's talent is actually no less than his younger brother, and even their styles of doing things are quite similar.

For example, although he was recruited by Han Fu to Jizhou, he abandoned him and joined Yuan Shao simply because he felt that Han Fu was not a wise leader.

Even though he was from Yingchuan, he did not try to prevent Hebei scholars from entering Yuan Shao's court.

Because Xun Chen knew that if Yuan Shao wanted to secure his position as Governor of Jizhou, he would have to rely on scholars from Hebei.

Seeing Xun Chen's words, Xu You also reacted and nodded, adding: "Guangping Ju Su has always been a man of great talent, and Song Zi Geng Bao is also an extraordinary person. Your Excellency should offer humble words and generous rewards to recruit them."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao immediately asked, "What are the family backgrounds of these four people?"

Xun Chen had already done his research in advance and immediately knew everything:

"Shen Pei was a loyal, brave, and generous man with an unbreakable integrity. He was a descendant of the Yin'an Shen clan, a prominent family in Wei County. During the reign of the previous emperor, his cousin Shen Huang had served as the prefect of Jiyin and was quite famous for his virtue."

"Although Tian Feng of Julu came from a humble family, he was well-read and knowledgeable. At a young age, he was appointed to the Taiwei Mansion. Later, he was selected as an outstanding talent and promoted to the position of Imperial Censor. However, due to the eunuchs' control of the court and the murder of talented people, he resigned and returned home, never to have a wise ruler."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao decisively ordered, "Draw up a letter of appointment, appointing Shen Pei as Chief Clerk of the Shogunate and Tian Feng as Vice Governor of the Province."

Xu You went on to explain, "Geng Bao was born into the Geng clan of Song. Four of his clan members were granted the title of Marquis, three were granted the title of Marquis of Guannei, and nine were officials of the rank of 2,000 stone official. They were a powerful family in Julu."

During the reign of Emperor Guangwu, his ancestor Geng Chun, along with his cousins Geng Su, Geng Su, and Geng Zhi, led over 2,000 clan members and relatives to follow Emperor Shizu. They were later appointed General of the Front and granted the title of Marquis of Gengxiang. Geng Zhi later became General of Fuwei and granted the title of Marquis of Weiyi. Geng Su became the prefect of Dai County and granted the title of Marquis of Suixiang. Geng Su became General of the Red Eyebrows and granted the title of Marquis of Zhuwu. He followed Deng Yu in his western expedition and died in battle at Yunyang.

After hearing this, Yuan Shao didn't even need Xu You to introduce Geng Bao's talents. His family background was enough.

In fact, Geng Wu, the chief officer of Jizhou appointed by Han Fu, was from the Geng family of Julu.

However, during the mutiny last night, Geng Wu refused to surrender and fled with the remaining troops along with Zhao Fu and others.

Xu You also specifically explained this to Yuan Shao.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao waved his hand and said, "Order Geng Bao to be appointed Chief Clerk of Julu. Do not let him decline."

So what if Geng Wu just resisted? Yuan Shao would not hate the entire Geng family of Julu.

At this moment, Yuan Shao was so eager to recruit talented people that he didn't think there was anything wrong with doing so.

In the eyes of Yuan Shao, who was familiar with the rules of officialdom, this was the only way to control Jizhou.

However, when it came to Ju Su's turn, Xu You didn't need to explain.

This was because Ju Su was originally a cavalry commander and was highly valued by Han Fu. He had previously advised Han Fu not to give the position of Governor of Jizhou to Yuan Shao.

It was precisely because of this that Yuan Shao felt somewhat disgusted with Ju Su.

But he is a descendant of the Yuan family after all, and he still has basic political qualities.

So after a moment of silence, Yuan Shao finally chose to restrain himself and recruit the wise men from these states and counties.

After all, he now urgently needs the support of the Jizhou gentry, both in terms of public opinion and material support.

Of course, the people Yuan Shao recruited were far more than these. He basically tried to recruit all of Han Fu's subordinates.

For example, Han Fu's brave general Qu Yi and his subordinate general Zhang He and other generals basically chose to submit to Yuan Shao.

However, unlike Qu Yi, the son of a powerful man in Liang Province, Zhang He, although a military general, was a descendant of a famous family in Hejian.

But what is interesting is that although the Zhang family of Zhou County is a descendant of Zhang Liang, they are only a side branch.

Although the Zhang family of Wuyang is the main branch, they are far away in Jianwei County of Yizhou, which is also a wonder of this dynasty.

However, not all Jizhou officials chose to bow down to the three generations of officials.

...Julu County, within the territory of Guangzong.

The dusk was like blood, soaking the wasteland in the suburbs.

Geng Wu was seen holding the scabbard with one hand and searching in the mud with the sword in the other.

The sword that was once worth a fortune is now no different from a firewood stick.

However, Geng Wu didn't care. After finally finding some fish, shrimps, turtles and tortoises, he happily chopped them to death, and then walked back tiredly. When he got ashore, a winding line of blood was left behind him, just like the remaining soldiers in the valley at this moment, in a panic and embarrassed, as if they had lost their backbone.

In fact, when Geng Wu escaped from the Yecheng camp that night, he took away almost 3,000 remaining soldiers.

However, during the escape, people kept falling behind and fleeing, and now there are only about a thousand people left.

In the dense forest, a group of defeated soldiers huddled together. Some of them tore off the leather of their armor and stuffed it into their mouths to chew, making teeth-grinding sounds from time to time.

"Sir, I found some shrimps in the ditch. Let's eat some."

However, looking at the fish, shrimp and turtle meat rolling in the helmet, Han Xi had no appetite at all. His face was pale and his eyes were dull.

As Han Fu's only son, Han Xi had never suffered such hardship.

In fact, if Han Xi had not been out for a banquet in the suburbs that night and had not returned, he would probably have died together with Han Fu.

It was Geng Wu and others who protected him all the way and helped him break out of the siege. It was not until he entered Julu County that he had a chance to breathe.

But even so, Han Xi still felt extremely desperate.

As the dead branches in the campfire sparked, Han Xi's image flickered.

After a long moment, he finally looked up at his deputy, Min Chun, and said in a hoarse voice, "Min, leave me alone. Let's all go. Yuan Benchu wants to kill me. It has nothing to do with you."

On the night of the mutiny, with the fall of Ye City and the death of Han Fu, the more than ten officials he recruited from the provincial government basically accepted the reality. Only the deputy driver Min Chun and the chief secretary Geng Wu climbed out by the rope, and joined up with the remaining soldiers such as Zhao Fu, protecting Han Xi and escaping to the present.

It can be said that Min Chun and Geng Wu were truly loyal and righteous men, and they did not change their ambitions even after Han Fu's death.

Especially Geng Wu. Given his family background, if he stayed in Songzi County and kept his troops idle, Yuan Shao would never touch him.

In order to win over Song Zi Geng, Yuan Shao might even forgive his past mistakes and use him in an important position.

But Geng Wu chose the most difficult path, preferring to die rather than surrender.

When Geng Wu heard Han Xi say this, he couldn't help but get furious.

"Sir, why do you humiliate us like this? But for loyalty and righteousness, I will die, what is there to fear?"

Min Chun also said with a firm face: "Don't worry, sir. Lord Han died in vain. Even if we are torn to pieces, we will definitely avenge him!"

After all, Zang Hong is not the only righteous man in this world.

Zang Hongneng broke with Yuan Shao and even died in order to support Zhang Chao;

Min Chun and Geng Wu would naturally be willing to sacrifice their lives to avenge Han Fu.

Hearing the two of them say this, Han Xi was immediately moved and felt guilty, and burst into tears for a while.

He is just an average person, and his good character may be his only advantage.

The more Min Chun and Geng Wu said this, the more ashamed he felt.

Hearing Han Xi's suppressed sobs, Min Chun and Geng Wu also felt a little sad.

Although the two men have already put their lives at risk, they also know how difficult the current situation is.

Now they are trapped between Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao, and no matter which way they run, they will be in danger of death.

At this time, the vast continental swamp has become their only hope.

Just as silence fell around the campfire, a whisper came from not far away: "You can't go to the mainland."

Min Chun and Geng Wu were shocked when they heard this, and immediately drew their swords and stood up.

However, when the visitor walked out from the darkness, Min Chun and Geng Wu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Because the person who came was the Cavalry Commander Ju Su.

The two men were colleagues and fellow villagers of Ju Shou, so they naturally knew that Ju Shou was not a person who would sell out his master for fame and fortune.

Even if he surrendered to Yuan Shao, he would not choose to use the son of his former master as a stepping stone for advancement.

But even so, Geng Wu still looked alert and asked, "Captain Ju, how did you find us?"

However, Ju Su ignored him. He first bowed solemnly to Han Xixing, then looked at Min Chun and Geng Wu, shook his head and sighed, "Daluze is not difficult to guess. I can think of it, and Xun Chen and Xu You can think of it too. I'm afraid a large net has been laid north of Daluze by now, waiting for you to take the initiative to go there."

As soon as these words were spoken, Min Chun and Geng Wu felt nervous, and Han Xi's face was filled with fear.

It was not until this time that Geng Wu and the other man discovered that Ju Su was covered in mud and looked in a miserable state. It was obvious that he had been chasing them with his followers at full speed, fearing that they would fall into a trap.

(End of this chapter)