Han officials

Chapter 280 The Chaos of Xiapi
Wei Zhe arrived in Tancheng on the afternoon of the 21st.

He hadn't wanted to come so soon, but unexpected events occurred in Xuzhou, forcing Wei Zhe to set off ahead of schedule.

To speed things up, Wei Zhe led only 5,000 cavalrymen southward.

As news of Tao Qian's critical illness spread, ambitious individuals within Xuzhou began to get restless.

As for what exactly happened, it was nothing much.

It's just that someone claims to be the emperor.

Indeed, since Zhang Chun of Yuyang, the Han Dynasty has produced another man who dared to declare himself emperor.

Que Xuan, a powerful figure from Xiapi, gathered several thousand people and openly rebelled in Xiaqiu City, proclaiming himself emperor.

Because the attack was sudden, Que Xuan was able to successfully capture the Tong Kingdom county in the north.

Although the territory may seem small, Que Xuan's actions have had an extremely negative impact.

For example, Ze Rong, the greedy prime minister of Xiapi, immediately used the pretext of suppressing Que Xuan to expand his army in Xiapi County, strengthen his troops, and arm his followers.

Clearly, Zuo Rong also had some ambitions for the position of governor of Xuzhou.

It's not surprising that this happened.

After all, Tao Qian was able to hold the position of Governor of Xuzhou not only because of the court's appointment, but mainly because of his personal abilities.

However, this prestige built on an individual can change depending on Tao Qian's own state of mind.

When Tao Qian was at his peak, ambitious individuals within Xuzhou naturally dared not act recklessly.

But now that Tao Qian is about to die, his former prestige has inevitably diminished.

However, on the other hand, Chen Gui had not expected that Xiapi would suddenly become so chaotic.

He never expected that such a small state as Xiapi could have so many talented people.

Without a second thought, Chen Gui, who was in Huaipu, gathered young men and men and marched north with his followers.

Of course, on the surface, they were still using the slogan of maintaining stability in the village and suppressing the rebellious party of Que Xuan.

As for that fellow Zuo Rong, even Chen Gui can only leave him to Cao Cao to deal with.

Seeing that the Kingdom of Xiapi was in complete chaos, Tao Qian, the governor of Tancheng, was nearly driven to his death by anger.

He originally thought that the tiger's power would remain even after its death.

But before he even died, those ungrateful wretches started tearing apart his inheritance.

This made Tao Qian angry, but also secretly alarmed.

After all, his greatest value lies in the legacy of Xuzhou. If these heartless bastards were to steal it, the Tao family would have no way to advance their careers.

Therefore, when Wei Zhe arrived in Tancheng, Tao Qian, with his last breath, summoned everyone.

……

Afternoon, at the Xuzhou Prefectural Governor's Mansion.

The main hall was filled with either local governors or high-ranking military generals.

Of the five commanderies and kingdoms under the jurisdiction of Xuzhou, apart from Zuo Rong, the chancellor of Xiapi, Yin De, the chancellor of Langya, Liu Kui, the chancellor of Donghai, Ji Lian, the chancellor of Pengcheng, and Zhao Yu, the prefect of Guangling, were all present.

Cavalry Commandant Zang Ba and Sun Guan, and Commandant Zhang Kai and Cao Hong, were dressed in military uniforms and stood on the right.

In addition, Fu Qian, the former prefect of Jiujiang who had sought refuge here, Shi Jianyuan, a famous scholar from Chenliu, and Xiang Zhonghua, a famous scholar from Chenjun, were also invited to attend.

The reason is simple: to bear witness.

After everyone had arrived, Tao Qian was carried in while lying on the couch.

After finishing a bowl of ginseng soup, he leaned back on the cushion and glanced apologetically at Wei Zhe beside him.

"The old man is seriously ill, I'm sorry to trouble you, General!"

Upon seeing this, Wei Zhe immediately waved his hand and said, "Not at all, it is I who should have paid my respects to Master Tao sooner."

Under the sway of "since we're already here" and "respect for the dead," Wei Zhe dared not argue with Tao Qian and completely let him control the situation.

Fortunately, Tao Qian had limited energy and wasn't planning on playing any tricks today.

After greeting Wei Zhe, he glanced weakly around the room and said:
"The world is in chaos, and the nation is on the verge of collapse; General Wei is young and vigorous, with outstanding achievements, and should be serving the country... Alas, I am old and incompetent, and I am willing to cede Xuzhou to you. This is my heartfelt statement, not a pretense... Alas, I have summoned you all here today to bear witness!"

Even though they had expected it, the civil and military officials of Xuzhou in the hall still couldn't help but exclaim in surprise when Tao Qian said these words, after all, this was the territory of an entire prefecture!
Logically speaking, after hearing these words, Wei Zhe should have pretended to decline and refuse three times.

But there's a saying—those who achieve great things don't concern themselves with trifles.

Tao Qian was on the verge of death, and Wei Zhe dared not attempt any more risky maneuvers.

If Tao Qian suddenly died halfway through his refusal, that would be truly embarrassing.

Therefore, after Tao Qian finished speaking, Wei Zhe stood up, looked at the civil and military officials in the hall, and said in a deep voice:

"I should not have interfered in the affairs of Xuzhou, but the Han Dynasty is in decline and the world is in chaos. I cannot bear to see the calamity of war continue, so I have dared to presume to take on this important task."

"The Analects says: 'When it comes to benevolence, one should not yield even to one's teacher.' This is also my aspiration!"

After saying this, Wei Zhe walked to Tao Qian's bedside and gently comforted him:
"Master Tao, you can rest assured and focus on your recovery. Leave everything to me!"

Seeing Wei Zhe's magnificent spirit, Tao Qian was filled with satisfaction.

Although he surrendered, as long as Tao is on the side of the victors, he has not lost.

Thinking this, Tao Qian tremblingly picked up the seal of the governor of Xuzhou and placed it in Wei Zhe's hand. Upon seeing this, Zang Ba, Sun Guan, Zhang Kai, and others below the hall hesitated for a moment before immediately bowing down.

After exchanging glances, Yin De, the Chancellor of Langya, Liu Kui, the Chancellor of Donghai, Ji Lian, the Chancellor of Pengcheng, and Zhao Yu, the Prefect of Guangling, finally nodded slightly and stepped forward to pay their respects.

There was nothing that could be done; for the time being, Tao Qian was still the governor of Xuzhou.

Even he, the ruler of Xuzhou, personally stepped forward to abdicate. What could his subordinates possibly say?

Seeing this, Wei Zhe was also quite excited.

Even though he now controls Hebei, it is still a great profit for him to peacefully take over a prefecture.

"Please rise, everyone!" But now was not the time to be happy. After helping everyone up, Wei Zhe said sincerely, "You are all virtuous and capable men of Xuzhou. Please do not hesitate to teach me in the future!"

After going through the master-servant ritual once, the ceremony was considered to be roughly complete.

After putting his mind at ease, Tao Qian finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Perhaps because he had no more attachments, Tao Qian suddenly collapsed on the spot.

In his final moments, he could no longer speak, but when Wei Zhe looked at him, Tao Qian struggled to point to his heart, his eyes filled with expectation.

Upon seeing this, Wei Zhe immediately understood his meaning and nodded emphatically:
"Rest assured, Lord Tao, I will not let your efforts go to waste!"

Upon hearing this, Tao Qian felt no reluctance whatsoever and immediately left with a smile.

In an instant, the hall was filled with weeping, and Tao Shang and the others were sobbing uncontrollably.

Wei Zhe, who had just taken on the concurrent post of governor of Xuzhou, found that the first thing he did after taking office was to handle the funeral of his predecessor, which left him with mixed feelings.

Fortunately, Tao Qian did not fail, and managed to complete the mission before passing away.

So, in front of all the civil and military officials below, Wei Zhe couldn't help but shed tears and sob incessantly.

However, not long after, an urgent report suddenly interrupted Wei Zhe's performance.

……

"That's how it is. Cao Cao led his army to invade Xiapi, so Chen Gui, the Chancellor of Pei, raised the four counties of Huaipu, Quyang, Lingcheng, and Huaiyin to respond. Now they have joined forces with Que Xuan's rebel army in Xiaqiu and are besieging Xiapi County. Most of Xiapi is now in the hands of Cao Cao and his men. Ze Rong was no match for them and just sent a messenger to ask for help overnight."

After giving a brief introduction, Cao Hong stood aside, waiting for Wei Zhe's instructions.

As a general personally promoted by Tao Qian, the Danyang soldiers under his command were the pillars of stability in Xuzhou.

Therefore, Cao Hong was the quickest to accept Tao Qian's order.

At the same time, Wei Zhe, who was in the main seat in the hall, suddenly felt like laughing.

You should know that after the land survey in Ji Province ended, he had been thinking about finding an excuse to deal with Cao Cao, but he had to put it aside for the time being due to the unexpected changes in Xu Province.

Unexpectedly, after all this time, Cao Cao has actually come to us of his own accord.

This is truly... double happiness!

However, he didn't reveal a trace of it on his face. After listening to Cao Hong's words, he immediately looked at Mi Zhu beside him:

"Zizhong, based on your understanding, how will Zuo Rong likely act next?"

Although the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

But Wei Zhe really didn't know whether he should rescue Zuo Rong, who was such a terrible teammate.

However, since he was new to the area and unfamiliar with the people, he still needed to listen to the opinions of the locals.

Upon hearing this, Mi Zhu couldn't help but show a look of disgust and said:

“Zuo Rong is a cruel and untrustworthy man, fierce in appearance but cowardly in reality, and has no intention of fighting to the death.”

"I believe there is absolutely no need to provide assistance. We can let Zuo Rong die at Cao Cao's hands before intervening."

Upon hearing this, Liu Kui, the Chancellor of Donghai, and Ji Lian, the Chancellor of Pengcheng, couldn't help but nod in agreement.

They had long been dissatisfied with Zuo Rong's exploitation of the surrounding people to support the heretical Buddhist cult.

If it weren't for Tao Qian's constant protection in previous years, Zuo Rong would have been beheaded a thousand times over for the crimes he committed.

However, after hearing Mi Zhu's words, an old man in the hall shook his head with a solemn expression.

This person was Wang Lang, the one who was said to have been scolded to death by Zhuge Liang.

With his hair and beard completely white, Wang Lang rose meticulously and bowed to Wei Zhe, saying:

"My lord, please forgive my rudeness. I believe that the matter of Xiapi should be addressed sooner rather than later, and troops should be dispatched immediately."

"Although Zuo Rong is of questionable character, since Your Excellency has already taken control of Xuzhou, you can punish him according to the law. Why bother with Cao Mengde, an outsider?"

"Furthermore, Zuo Rong has never been a man of much virtue, and if the situation becomes critical, he may very well surrender to Cao Cao's army."

"At that time, Cao Cao's army will become even more powerful, and if Your Excellency wishes to quell the rebellion, you will inevitably face many additional risks."

Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent.

After thinking about it, Wei Zhe had to admit that Wang Lang's words did make sense.

However, he only brought five thousand soldiers with him on this trip south, which was far from sufficient in terms of troop strength. If he were to send them out to quell the rebellion, his protective forces would be severely weakened.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe immediately and decisively said:

"What the ruler said makes sense. Now that I have received the seal, I will naturally protect the peace of this region!"
Having said that, Wei Zhe suddenly stood up, raised his head, and placed his hand on his sword, speaking with a firm and powerful voice:

"I must personally lead this campaign against the traitor Cao, only then can I live up to Lord Tao's trust!"

(End of this chapter)