Han officials

Chapter 219 Using a Borrowed Knife to Kill [3K]

The envoy sent to Xuzhou this time was Tao Qiuhong.

This renowned scholar from Qingzhou, after seeking refuge in Liaodong and taking refuge under Wei Zhe, never left again.

In fact, there were quite a few scholars from Qingzhou like him, and Wei Zhe mostly gave them minor positions such as literary affairs officers.

In the past, these people were either lecturing and discussing philosophy in academies or organizing the Luoyang collection of books in pavilions.

Tao Qiu Hong was specially chosen by Wei Zhe to serve as the envoy because this alliance among the Central Plains lords was of great importance.

After all, Tao Qiuhong was a man of great talent and erudition, whose literary skills were unparalleled in his time; he was a natural-born persuader.

Moreover, Tao Qiuhong was already a famous scholar of the Han Dynasty before Dong Zhuo seized power, and his connections extended throughout the land. With his involvement, even if things did not succeed, at least his life safety could be guaranteed.

Indeed, after entering Xuzhou from Qingzhou, Tao Qiuhong successfully met Tao Qian.

However, after reading the letter, Tao Qian remained silent in thought.

After a moment, Tao Qian looked up at Tao Qiuhong and asked, "Zilin, who do you think Yuan Shao is?"

"Four generations of high-ranking officials, a prestigious family among the most powerful clans in the land, a truly noble lineage!" Tao Qiuhong said calmly.

Seeing that he did not deliberately belittle him, Tao Qian stroked his beard and laughed, "If that's the case, why should I be an enemy of the Yuan family?"

Upon hearing this, Tao Qiuhong stood up straight and said:
“Your Excellency’s words are incorrect. This action is not to oppose the Yuan family, but to protect ourselves.”

"Although Yuan Shao was from a noble family, he was actually a wolf in sheep's clothing."

"In the past, during the Luoyang Palace Coup, these people brazenly raised troops to attack the imperial city, burned down the palace, and massacred the palace staff, resulting in the tragic deaths of many concubines and women of the inner palace, and the emperor being forced to flee to Beiman. This is both inhumane and disloyal!"

"Governor Han Fu of Ji Province, mindful of Yuan Shao's lineage as the son of the one who raised the banner, devoted the entire province's resources to helping him raise an army to fight against Dong Zhuo. However, Yuan Shao disregarded the blood feud between his entire family and, instead of thinking about attacking Dong Zhuo, coveted Ji Province. This is unfilial!"

"Although Han Fu treated him with courtesy, he died when the city of Ye fell during a military uprising. This was unjust!"

"When the governors of Guandong formed an alliance to fight against Dong Zhuo, they all honored Yuan Shao as their leader and swore an oath: 'All of us who are allies will work together with one heart and one mind to serve the country. Even if we lose our lives, we will never waver.' However, the words still ring in our ears, but in the end, only our lord went west alone and fought several bloody battles before he was able to recover the old capital."

“Yuan Shao disregarded national and personal grievances, only knowing how to fight for power and profit. Although he was the leader of the alliance, he attacked and killed Wang Kuang, the governor of Hanoi, who was an ally, and annexed the territory of Hanoi. This is untrustworthy!”

"With such disloyal, unfilial, unkind, and unjust people by your side, how can you, my lord, sleep soundly?"

As soon as Tao Qiuhong finished speaking, Tao Qian was speechless.

He knew that Yuan Shao was not a kind person, but Tao Qiuhong's words made him feel uneasy, realizing that he had underestimated Yuan Shao in the past.

If this is the case, then Yuan Shao truly is a complete and utter ruthless wolf!
It should be noted that Dong Zhuo killed his entire family, yet Yuan Shao turned a blind eye to Dong Zhuo's pleasure in Chang'an.

However, Wang Lang, the governor sitting to the side, could not bear to watch any longer and immediately stood up and stepped forward.

In a way, Wang Lang was one of the characters most unfairly maligned by Luo Guanzhong.

The phrases "white-haired scoundrel, gray-bearded old thief" and "I have never seen such a shameless person" directly turned this old gentleman into a clown in the eyes of many people in later generations.

However, in reality, this man was nearly eighty years old at the time and held the high position of one of the Three Dukes. He did not go on any campaigns. No matter how eloquent Zhuge Liang was, it would have been extremely difficult for him to verbally defeat him.

Not to mention that this old gentleman was always learned and virtuous, with a vast body of work, and was a leading Confucian scholar. His works, such as the *Zhouyi Zhuan*, *Chunqiu Zhuan*, and *Xiaojing Zhuan*, were used as official textbooks by the Cao Wei court and were even known as "Wang Xue" (the School of Wang). His son, Wang Su, also wrote commentaries on the *Shangshu*, *Shi*, *Lunyu*, and *Zuozhuan*, which were also included in the official curriculum during the Sima Jin dynasty. Wang Su himself was the maternal grandfather of Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan.

It can be said that with the support of two dynasties, "Wang's School" once overshadowed "Zheng's School" and flourished throughout the world for hundreds of years.

That is to say, by the time Luo Guanzhong was in his time, Wang Yangming's philosophy had already completely declined; otherwise, his actions would have been no different from digging up Confucius's grave.

However, at this moment, Wang Lang was unaware that a big black hat would be coming to him to increase his strength in the future.

Seeing Tao Qiuhong so belittling Yuan Shao, he couldn't help but speak up: "Why is Zilin so harsh? Yuan Shao has always been a model for the world. Even if he made some mistakes during the Luoyang palace coup, he was ultimately trying to eliminate the eunuchs and treacherous officials. For this alone, he has rendered meritorious service to the world. Why call him a tiger and wolf? Moreover, the people Yuan Shao associates with are all learned scholars and virtuous men. If his character is so despicable, how can he make friends all over the world?"

At this point, Wang Lang directly retorted sarcastically, "Although we each serve our own masters, Zilin, there's no need for such boastful words, otherwise it might backfire."

However, Tao Qiuhong was not angry at all upon hearing this; instead, he shook his head in disappointment.

"Jingxing, it's best to keep quiet about such pedantic views, lest you become a laughingstock among the wise!"

"You say that each serves their own master, but you do not know that my master and Yuan Shao are worlds apart."

“Our lord has always upheld loyalty and righteousness, and all his actions have been in accordance with the principles of Heaven and human ethics. Can Yuan Shao agree?”

Although Wang Lang was still somewhat unconvinced by his words, he had nothing to say to Wei Zhe.

After all, since entering officialdom, Wei Zhe has been either fighting against the barbarians and expanding the territory, or suppressing Dong Zhuo and quelling the rebellion.

Whether it was advocating for land reclamation or promoting education, each of these was something only a capable person could accomplish. Even if Wang Lang did not agree that Yuan Shao was a ruthless and cunning man, he still believed that he was inferior to Wei Zhe.

The mere fact that Luoyang was recovered and the imperial tombs of past dynasties were enough to shut Wang Lang up.

This is the advantage of Wei Zhe always having a legitimate reason for doing things.

Because by waving the banner of righteousness, over time one can truly become the embodiment of righteousness!

Seeing that Wang Lang remained silent, Tao Qiuhong then looked at Tao Qian, who was sitting at the head of the table, and said:

As Confucius said in the Analects: "A man who does not think far ahead will have trouble at hand."

"Now that you have taken up Xuzhou, you must be aware of the vicissitudes of the Central Plains. Since Yuan Shao usurped the control of Jizhou, he has long regarded the surrounding prefectures and counties as his own. Several months ago, he privately established governorships for Bingzhou and Qingzhou, intending to attack our army from both sides. Our lord originally wanted to encourage agriculture and education, and to lay down arms and promote culture, but he was forced to fight back due to their coercion. However, Bingzhou is already devastated, and Qingzhou has been ravaged by the Yellow Turbans and has been reduced to ruins. We are now exhausted."

"Unexpectedly, Yuan Shao, relying on the wealth of Ji Province, first led the Black Mountain bandits to plunder Zhuo County, and then incited the Yellow Turbans of Qing Province to cause chaos in Bohai. In fact, he was in league with the bandits and treated the people like dirt. Later, he even led the Yellow Turbans of Qing Province eastward, killed Liu Dai, the governor of Yan Province, and replaced him with Cao Cao."

"Right now, Yuan Shao holds Ji Province and Yan Province, and also occupies most of Bing Province and Qing Province. He is truly the number one warlord in the land, and his ambition to conquer the world is obvious! At this time, Xu Province is besieged by Zhou Ang, the pseudo-governor of Qing Province, and Cao Cao, the governor of Yan Province. You are surrounded by enemies on all sides. I am truly worried for you, my lord!"

As soon as Tao Qiuhong said this, the entire room fell silent.

Tao Qian, who had been calm, couldn't help but frown.

After all, Tao Qiuhong's words were not wrong. At least in Tao Qian's current view, Yanzhou was also under Yuan Shao's rule, so it was not wrong to say that Yuan Shao was the number one warlord in the world.

As for Wei Zhe, although he was quite popular, the impression of Youzhou as a barren place was too deeply ingrained in people's minds.

Especially for those who have never been to Liaodong, they are even less aware of the changes in the five prefectures of Liaozhou today.

Tao Qian, who did not participate in the campaign against Dong Zhuo, has never even seen Wei Zhe, let alone knows the formation of Wei's army.

In this way, Wei Zhe, who was far away, was naturally not as threatening as Yuan Shao, who had already blocked the gate.

Thinking of this, Tao Qian felt a slight stirring in his heart.

However, out of caution, Tao Qian did not express his opinion, but simply asked Tao Qiuhong to go and rest for the time being.

Seeing this, Tao Qiuhong was not in a hurry. After exchanging pleasantries, he took his leave.

After all, alliances are formed, and consensus can't be reached just by meeting once. Tao Qian had to discuss it with his advisors.

Before Cao Cao's massacre, the current seat of Xuzhou was still in Tan County, Donghai Commandery.

So after leaving the prefecture, Tao Qiuhong calmly settled down in Tan County.

On the other side, after Tao Qiuhong left, Tao Qian immediately began to discuss with his men.

"What do you all think of the Wei family's invitation to an alliance?"

Zhao Yu, the Prefect who had been silent all along, finally spoke up: "Your Excellency, please allow me to report. Last night, a servant from the post station came to report that Tao Qiu Hong's servants had inquired about the situation in Yuzhou and looked fearful. I fear that this alliance is not just about inviting our family!"

Upon hearing this, Tao Qian nodded slightly.

At this moment, Wang Lang, the governor, was no longer angry, and did not even take Tao Qiuhong's sarcasm to heart.

He stroked his beard thoughtfully and said, "If that's the case, then Wei Gongwei's intentions must lie with the Yuan family. He might even find himself in a position of absolute power with the Yuan family!"

Upon hearing this, Prefect Zhao Yu couldn't help but nod repeatedly, saying:

"Indeed, what Wei Gongwei fears is the Yuan family!"

"Yuan Shao controls the provinces of Ji and Yan, while Yuan Gong holds the large prefecture of Nanyang and has a grasp on Yu Province. Both of them control the most fertile lands in the land. If the Yuan brothers were to unite as one, no one in the land could control them!"

At this point, Zhao Yu couldn't help but glance at Tao Qian, saying worriedly, "Although I've heard that Yuan Gonglu and Yuan Benchu ​​are at odds, they are, after all, bound by blood. If the two Yuans were to unite one day, Xuzhou would be in grave danger!"

As soon as Zhao Yu finished speaking, Tao Qian felt a chill run down his spine.

It is important to know that Yanzhou, Yuzhou, and Xuzhou have always been intertwined and closely connected.

If Yuzhou and Yanzhou become enemies, and even Qingzhou is occupied by the Yuan family, then Xuzhou will truly be a dead end!

Thinking of this, Tao Qian couldn't help but recall Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, who had only recently died.

At that time, whose knife should Yuan Shao use to kill him, the governor of Xuzhou?
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Sorry, I haven't been feeling well these past few days, please forgive me!

(End of this chapter)