Han officials

Chapter 217 Each Using Their Own Methods [22]

Xu You was unimpressed by Shen Pei's anger.

Xu You, on the contrary, glared at him angrily and said with righteous indignation: "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Why is Zheng Nan so stubborn?"

Having said that, Xu You didn't argue with Shen Pei, but directly explained to Yuan Shao:

The *Huangdi Neijing* states, "Strong medicine cures serious illness, and severe punishments quell chaos. At this juncture, such a temporary measure is reasonable. Once Wei Gongwei is beheaded, our army will seize the lands of You and Yan, and we can then rebuild our nation and cleanse the world."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Indeed, it is better to temporarily sacrifice a few pieces of meat to lure the barbarians into becoming our henchmen, so that we can discard them later when they are no longer useful.

However, Yuan Shao still had some concerns. He hesitated and said, "Shanggu and Dai counties are the shield of Youyan. If these two counties are lost, Ji Province will probably suffer greatly as well. Isn't this... going a bit too far?"

Unexpectedly, Xu You laughed and said, "My lord, you can rest assured. Although Kebineng has many men, it won't be easy for him to take over these two prefectures. As long as our army moves quickly enough, we can take over Shanggu and Dai prefectures ahead of time once everything is settled. Even if Kebineng is unwilling, what can he do to us?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao slowly nodded.

He knew that his actions would likely draw criticism in the future, but Yuan Shao didn't care about that anymore.

Because if he couldn't defeat Wei Zhe, he would have no future at all.

Conversely, if he becomes the ultimate winner, then he will naturally have the opportunity to make up for his mistakes today.

Upon realizing this, Yuan Shao immediately began to plan the details.

Upon seeing this, Shen Pei immediately opened his mouth to speak, but after thinking for a moment, he ultimately couldn't say anything.

However, it is not an easy task for Yuan Shao to unite with the various nomadic tribes beyond the Great Wall to launch a pincer attack on the Wei army.

After all, Jizhou has no contact with the northern frontier at present, so how to contact the Wuhuan and Xianbei is a problem.

After some discussion among Guo Tu and others, Yuan Shao finally decided to send an envoy across the Taihang Mountains, through Bingzhou, to cross the border from Shuofang County.

Although this approach involves a significant detour, it completely avoids the Wei army's notice and ensures the secrecy of the operation. Even if something were to happen to the envoy on the way, it would not prematurely arouse Wei Zhe.

Of course, it's well hidden, but it will probably take quite a bit of time to go back and forth.

The fact that Ye City was able to implement this plan within a year is considered a testament to their efficiency and competence.

However, just as Yuan Shao and the others had finished their discussion, a commotion broke out outside the hall.

Chunyu Qiong stepped forward with a joyful expression and said, "Reporting to Your Excellency, there is good news from Yanzhou."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao was overjoyed: "Quickly, present it to me."

Heaven help him, since he became the governor of Ji Province, he has only received bad news and has hardly heard any good news.

When Yuan Shao opened it, he stroked his beard and burst into laughter.

Seeing this, Xu You and the others were full of doubts. Only after receiving the military report did they realize what had happened.

After the Yellow Turban rebels from Qingzhou entered the territory, Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, probably thought that a group of refugees were nothing special. He believed that if Liu Bei and Zhong Hu could defeat them, he could too. So he was full of confidence and prepared to gain a military merit for free, so as to intimidate the counties of Yanzhou and become the true ruler of Yanzhou.

However, Liu Dai had either greatly underestimated the fighting strength of the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou or greatly overestimated the fighting strength of his own army. In any case, the 20,000 Yanzhou troops were completely routed in the battle against the 500,000 refugees from Qingzhou. As for Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, he was killed on the spot and his body was never found.

When the news spread, the counties of Yanzhou were immediately alarmed, fearing that Yanzhou would be reduced to ruins like Qingzhou.

Therefore, at the suggestion of Bao Xin, the Chancellor of Jibei, Bao Xin, along with Wan Qian and other officials from the state, came to Dongjun to welcome Cao Cao to become the Governor of Yanzhou and to lead the various armies of Yanzhou to resist the Yellow Turbans and protect the peace of Yanzhou.

In other words, Yuan Shao did nothing and yet gained Yanzhou for free.

In an instant, the governor's mansion was filled with laughter and joy, a welcome change from its previous dejected state.

Shen Pei, who had initially looked unpleasant, couldn't help but smile at this moment.

Then Yuan Shao smiled and said, "Mengde has just taken office, and he must be short of manpower right now. Quickly! Order Zhu Ling to lead three battalions of soldiers to Dongjun and obey Mengde's command."

The civil and military officials in the hall didn't think much of it; instead, they repeatedly praised Yuan Shao's decisiveness and wisdom. After all, at this point in time, Cao Cao was essentially no different from Zhou Ang—both were subordinates of Yuan Shao.

Cao Cao's position as the Prefect of Dongjun was appointed by Yuan Shao, as was Zhou Ang's position as the Governor of Qingzhou.

Even Zhou Ang had more freedom than Cao Cao, because he had several thousand Taishan soldiers serving under his command.

Before Cao Cao joined Yuan Shao, he had fewer than a thousand soldiers, and these soldiers were even funded by Zhou Ang's brother.

In contrast, the three Zhou brothers were more like collaborators in Yuan Shao's government.

Therefore, it was only natural that the people in Yuan Shao's staff regarded Cao Cao's appointment as the governor of Yan Province as good news.

Even Yuan Shao himself now naturally regarded Yanzhou as his own territory.

Chunyu Qiong was even a little worried that Cao Cao would not be able to defeat the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou, and wanted to personally lead troops to provide support.

If it weren't for the fact that Ji Province's military strength was indeed quite limited at the moment, Yuan Shao might have agreed.

In order to mitigate the negative impact of the fall of Zhongshan, Yuan Shao then went on to publicize the good news about Yanzhou.

For a time, apart from Zhongshan State, the other counties and prefectures of Ji Province were filled with cheers.

To be honest, this move did indeed help Yuan Shao regain a lot of prestige.

But when the news reached the State of Zhongshan, Wei Zhe couldn't help but laugh.

……

Zhongshan State, Lu Nu County Temple.

Looking at the intelligence sent by the Pedestrian Bureau, Wei Zhe couldn't help but reveal a strange smile.

It's quite interesting to say that Cao Cao and Sun Jian were quite similar. In the early days, they were both regarded as lackeys by the Yuan brothers, which explains why some people thought that the Yuan family would eventually rule the country.

Ultimately, the brave and heroic Sun Jian died in battle, while the suspicious and cunning Cao Cao survived.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe couldn't help but recall another member of the Yuan family.

How is Yuan Gonglu doing these days?

Upon hearing this, Zhong Jun, the one-armed man in the black robe, immediately replied without hesitation:
After Sun Jian died in battle, Yuan Shu was blocked in his southward advance, so he turned eastward to continue his campaign against Yu Province.

"Rumors in Yuzhou say that Yuan Shu secretly sent assassins to kill Liu Chong, the King of Chen. Later, Yuan Shu appointed Yuan Si as the Chancellor of Chen. Now, Yingchuan Commandery, Runan Commandery, Chen State, and Liang State have all fallen into his hands, and he has taken over most of Yuzhou."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe frowned and asked, "What about Pei State?"

Yu Province consists of only five commanderies and kingdoms, and Wei Zhe does not believe that Yuan Shu will let Pei Kingdom go.

Zhong Jun explained, "Yuan Zhong, the Chancellor of Pei, also came from the Yuan clan of Runan and was a descendant of Yuan An. However, Yuan Shu belonged to the direct line of Yuan Feng, while Yuan Zhong belonged to a collateral branch of Yuan Chang. The two were cousins. Among the Yuan brothers, Yuan Zhong always favored Yuan Shu, so Yuan Shu did not interfere much in Pei!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe nodded. It turned out that he had already sided with Yuan Shu, which made it no surprise.

However, with Yuan Zhong in the middle, it's unlikely that any conflict will occur between Yuan Shu and Tao Qian.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe suddenly curled up the corners of his mouth and had a very interesting idea.

If he allied with Tao Qian and Yuan Shu, linking up the counties of Xuzhou, Yuzhou, and Sili, and cooperating with Wei Zhe's plans in Youzhou, Bingzhou, and Qingzhou, wouldn't that mean Yuan Shao and Cao Cao would be almost surrounded on all sides?
Even if Yuan Shu is unreliable, it would still be good to stab Yuan Cao a few times!

Wei Zhe recalled that in the original history, Yuan Shu had allied with Gongsun Zan and Tao Qian to attack Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

Although Yuan Shu doesn't have this idea yet, it's the same if he approaches him.

"Send word to Tian Feng!"

For a moment, Wei Zhe forgot all about taking a concubine and immediately summoned Tian Feng to make careful plans...

(End of this chapter)