Han officials

Chapter 322 The Pearl Secretly Casts
"How dare you, you brat, insult me?"

Shouchun, deep within the imperial palace.

Yuan Shu was raging like a furious tiger, and the palace maids and eunuchs around him were trembling with fear. They prostrated themselves on the ground, holding their breath and being careful not to breathe.

The ancients said:

When the emperor is angry, blood will flow for thousands of miles.

Unfortunately, Yuan Shu, the emperor of the Zhong family, was somewhat incompetent, hence his current state of impotent rage.

Yan Xiang, Yang Hong, and others below the steps were not surprised by Yuan Shu's reaction.

There was no way around it; Cai Yong's tongue was just too sharp.

The moment the phrase "He is a jackal by nature, seizing Huainan; he is a monkey in a crown, falsely claiming the title of emperor" was uttered, the two men already anticipated that Yuan Shu would break down, so they had no intention of offering any advice.

Having served Yuan Shu for so many years, they had long understood that some things could not be persuaded otherwise.

As expected, after randomly beating several unfortunate palace maids and eunuchs to death, Yuan Shu finally calmed down a bit.

His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at the civil and military officials below, gritting his teeth as he said:

"By imperial decree, from Shouchun downwards, all cities throughout the country shall expand their armies and prepare for war."

"I want Wei Zhe to know that the Yuan family is not something a lowly commoner like him can humiliate!"

Generals Zhang Xun, Ji Ling, and Qiao Rui immediately agreed, while civil officials like Yan Xiang said nothing.

Now that things have come to this, there is no other way but to fight, and there is nowhere else to escape to.

Moreover, although the Wei Kingdom had a vast territory and its army was indeed the most formidable in the world, Yuan's army was not without the ability to fight back.

It should be noted that the four commanderies occupied by Yuan Shu were all prosperous areas. Even though the local powerful clans were vying to hide their populations, according to the household registration records of the Shangshutai in Luoyang in the first year of Zhongping, these four commanderies still had 105 counties and a population of 5.59 million.

If we include the population hidden by powerful clans and wealthy families, the population of these four prefectures would probably exceed six million.

What is this concept?
It was almost the size of a single prefecture! And it was a major prefecture in the Central Plains.

Liangzhou, with a population of less than 500,000, and Bingzhou, with a population of only 700,000, are simply not worthy of comparison.

Even Yanzhou, Xuzhou, Qingzhou, Youzhou, and Yangzhou are quite inferior.

Of the thirteen provinces of the Han Dynasty, only Ji Province, Yu Province, and Sili Province could surpass it.

It was precisely because of these resources, coupled with the advantage of fighting on home soil, that Yan Xiang, Yang Hong, and others had the confidence to hold the line—or at least that's what they thought.

Wei Zhe's army of 100,000 is a mighty force, so surely they can hold out by gathering 200,000 troops to defend the area!
However, given Wei Zhe's impressive track record, Yan Xiang couldn't help but suggest in the end:
"Your Majesty, the Wei bandits are coming with great force, and I'm afraid their target is not just our family."

"Jingzhou has always been a prosperous region. At the beginning of the year, Liu Biao also proclaimed himself Duke of Chu. Why don't we form an alliance with him, help each other, and fight against the Wei traitors together?"

"In this way, even though the Wei army is fierce, they will be unable to do anything to our army."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu glared at him and immediately began to curse.

After all, in Yuan Shu's eyes, Yan Xiang's words were an underestimation of his strength as the emperor of the Zhong family!

Perhaps because he had just been ridiculed by Cai Yong as "a monkey wearing a crown," Yuan Shu was particularly sensitive at this moment.

If Yan Xiang hadn't been a loyal retainer of the Yuan family twenty years ago, Yuan Shu would have been tempted to kill him to vent his anger.

However, apart from Yuan Shu, all the civil and military officials in the hall felt that Yan Xiang's words made sense.

Despite their confidence, everyone felt immense pressure in the face of Wei Zhe's large-scale attack.

A person's name is like a tree's shadow; Wei Zhe's intimidating power is that direct.

Yan Xiang might have remained unmoved if he had advised Yuan Shu alone, but after all the civil and military officials in the hall had offered their tactful advice, even the arrogant Yuan Shu would have to accept the situation. Therefore, after a moment of silence, Yuan Shu finally nodded reluctantly and allowed Yan Xiang to handle the matter.

Yuan Shu may be arrogant, but he wasn't brain-dead. He knew that only by surviving could he continue to enjoy life.

So after the proclamation reached Shouchun, Yuan's army finally began to take action.

Yuan Shu began a large-scale conscription in the four commanderies under his rule. Young men, whether they wanted to or not, were recruited into the army without hesitation as long as they were seen by Yuan's officers.

Using such methods, Yuan's army quickly expanded to more than 200,000 men.

Yuan Shu appointed Ji Ling to defend Shouchun, and Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui as leaders to command a large army to resist the Wei army.

As for Yan Xiang, he was ordered to go to Jingzhou to persuade Liu Biao to form an alliance to jointly resist the Wei army.

However, Yan Xiang's trip was essentially to seek help; otherwise, the alliance between the two sides would be meaningless.

Yan Xiang knew that the journey would be difficult, but he was still determined to go to Xiangyang.

……

On this day, in Xiangyang Prefecture.

When Yan Xiang arrived outside the Chu Duke's mansion, he found that the buildings were all in the style of a royal palace, which put him at ease.

Therefore, upon meeting Liu Biao, Yan Xiang did not hesitate at all and immediately advised him:

"Now, Duke Wei commands an army of 100,000 and a thousand generals. He is a force to be reckoned with, and no one in the world can stop him. Jingzhou is rich and prosperous, and it is likely that Duke Wei will covet it sooner or later. Rather than suffer defeat and death in battle, and have your wife and children captured by the Wei army, why don't you lay down your arms, put away your armor, and submit to him as soon as possible?"

Upon hearing this, a chorus of curses erupted in the hall.

"Be bold!"

"You insolent old thief!"

The civil and military officials of Jingzhou already harbored deep resentment towards Yuan Shu.

If Liu Biao hadn't spoken up, it's questionable whether Yan Xiang would have even made it into Xiangyang alive.

Liu Biao, who was sitting at the head of the table, also frowned, his face full of displeasure.

He had thought Yan Xiang would humbly beg for help, which was why he went to see him, but he never expected that this fellow would try to persuade Wei Zhe to surrender!
However, Liu Biao had best to feign anger. Although he was secretly furious, he did not show it, but simply snorted:

"If that's the case, why doesn't Yuan Gonglu surrender instead of conscripting and expanding his army?"

Jiangxia Commandery and Runan Commandery are adjacent to each other, so Liu Biao could detect even the slightest movement by Yuan Shu and already knew Yuan Shu's attitude towards this major battle.

However, upon hearing this, Yan Xiang laughed heartily and said arrogantly:
"Our lord is a man of unparalleled talent, admired by all. He commands two hundred thousand brave warriors. How can a mere defense of this territory be of any concern!"

"Even if the Wei army had a hundred thousand soldiers, or even a million, we would not be afraid!"

At this point, Yan Xiang slowly revealed his true intentions:

"However, the Wei clan will not give up after failing to defeat our army, and Jingzhou may be hunted down by them."

"I am requesting an audience with the magistrate today only because I cannot bear to see the people of Jingzhou suffering so much."

"After all—if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold!"

As soon as Yan Xiang finished speaking, the hall erupted in another round of mocking laughter.

However, high-ranking officials in Jingzhou, such as Kuai Liang and Cai Mao, couldn't help but frown and ponder deeply.

Even Liu Biao couldn't help but suppress his anger, stroking his beard and pondering whether what Yan Xiang said was possible...
-
My arm is inexplicably sore and painful, I wonder if it's frozen shoulder. Ugh, these are all ailments...

(End of this chapter)