Han officials

Chapter 329 Waves of the Times

As night fell, Zang Ba was ordered to leave the camp early.

However, people were constantly coming and going in the command tent, keeping it extremely busy.

As messengers from various directions gradually arrived, Wei Zhe gradually gained a clearer understanding of the current situation in the Jianghuai region.

For example, Taishi Ci led the troops of Qingxu Prefecture to approach Wuhu, which basically cut off the connection between Danyang Prefecture and Jiujiang Prefecture.

Zhang Liao's left wing army has also penetrated deep into the heart of Runan Commandery, killing several Yuan army generals and is currently besieging Pingyu City.

To be honest, the trouble that Yuan Shu's army in Runan caused Zhang Liao was not as great as that caused by the Yellow Turbans in Runan.

Zhang Liao lamented in his military report, "Yuan Shikai's army is easy to defeat, but the Yellow Turbans are difficult to quell!"
It wasn't that the Yellow Turbans of Runan were particularly strong in battle, but rather that they had far too many people, most of whom were civilians.

He Yi, Liu Pi, Huang Shao, He Man and other Yellow Turban leaders never confronted Zhang Liao. If they were not careful, they would lead their trusted troops to abandon the old and weak and flee. As long as these core members were there, they could soon gather tens of thousands of people again.

In truth, this was all Yuan Shu's doing.

If it weren't for his tyrannical rule and disregard for the people's livelihood, a land like Runan, which is known for its abundant harvests, would not have experienced famine.

It should be noted that although Runan Commandery was not as densely populated as Nanyang Commandery, it still had more than two million people, accounting for 40% of the population of Yuzhou.

As a result, Yuan Shu has caused widespread displacement of people, making it seem as if we have returned to the scene of the first year of the Zhongping era.

These more than 100,000 Yellow Turban rebels from Runan are Zhang Liao's biggest problem right now!

Even if Yuan's army is defeated, Runan will be difficult to pacify if the Yellow Turban Rebellion is not quelled.

But Wei Zhe knew better than anyone the root cause of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

If the famine problem is not solved, the Yellow Turbans in Runan will have a continuous supply of soldiers.

Until Runan, this once prosperous land in the Central Plains, became a place where "bones were exposed in the wild, and no roosters crowed for a thousand miles."

"The problem in Runan lies in treatment, not in war!"

Inside the command tent, Zhang Zhao frowned and said:

"However, if the Yellow Turban leader is not killed, the disaster victims in Runan will likely not be able to live in peace!"

"This isn't difficult!"

Wei Zhe smiled with considerable confidence:
"How could a mere Yellow Turban leader be a match for Wen Yuan?"

Seeing Wei Zhe's confidence, Zhang Zhao no longer questioned Zhang Liao's abilities and immediately volunteered to lead the troops.

"Your humble servant is unworthy, but I am willing to go to Runan to comfort the disaster victims and bring peace to the people!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe immediately laughed and said, "With Zibu gone, I have no worries!"

After saying this, Wei Zhe personally helped Zhang Zhao up and appointed him as the Prefect of Runan, in charge of the people's livelihood in Runan.

Of course, this was only a temporary appointment, and Zhang Zhao would definitely be transferred back to Ye City after the disaster in Runan was resolved.

Zhang Zhao volunteered for the mission in order to accumulate merits.

After all, among the four members of the Political Affairs Hall, Xi Zhicai and Guo Yuan were both veterans of Liaodong and had made outstanding contributions.

Xun You and Zhang Zhao were the only newcomers with relatively little experience.

If Wei Zhe hadn't chosen them, their achievements would not have been comparable to those of other civil and military officials in Wei.

However, this is not surprising, as talent channels are often active in emerging regimes.

It is precisely because emerging powers are able to carry out sweeping reforms and achieve "the capable rise and the mediocre fall" that they are different from the old regimes, and this is reflected in all aspects.

Zhang Zhao hadn't paid much attention to it at first, but after Xun You took charge of the "strategy of winning hearts and minds" and stirred up the world with the Zhixing Dibao, Zhang Zhao couldn't help but feel a little pressured.

After all, Xun You's actions were similar to those of Chen Ping in the early Han Dynasty, and if successful, it would be a great achievement.

In comparison, he will probably be the one in the most awkward position at that time!
……

Regardless of Zhang Zhao's ulterior motives.

After Zhang Zhao left, Xun You and Xi Zhicai remained calm and composed.

Xi Zhicai even stroked his beard and laughed:
"With the two Zhangs gone, Runan will be pacified in no time."

"Nanyang and Runan have both been lost, and Danyang has also been cut off by the Right Army. Yuan Shu is now nothing but a skeleton in a tomb!"

"As soon as Your Excellency issues the order, the Divine Beast will arrive in Shouchun. What can Yuan Shu do even with a million soldiers?"

"Instead of wasting energy on a dying man, you should pay more attention to matters in Yangzhou!"

Xun You nodded in agreement upon hearing this:

"Liu Yao was ultimately appointed by the court. If we allow him to establish himself in Wu County, even if he cannot unify Yangzhou in the future, he will likely become the leader of the Jiangnan region."

"At that time, north of the Yangtze River, Liu Biao was in the west, Liu Yao was in the east, and Liu Zhang of Yizhou was also in power."

"If the alliance of the three Lius is formed, the world will be in turmoil from now on!"

Since the tent was filled with the core members of the Wei state, Xun You's words were quite bold.

But his meaning was clear: the three provinces of Jing, Yang, and Yi should not be allowed to form an alliance.

Once these three regions form an alliance, it will be difficult for the State of Wei to pacify them.

In fact, this was the case in the previous life; the alliance between Eastern Wu and Shu Han represented the unification of the three provinces.

Once this situation was established, even Cao Cao's extraordinary talent and martial prowess were powerless to change it. This was not something that could be resolved in one generation; it required time to await the emergence of new variables.

Wei Zhe was naturally more aware of this than anyone else.

After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly asked:
"Is there still no news from Kuaiji Prefecture?"

"No reply yet!" Xun You shook his head with some regret.

It is said that Yang Dao, the governor of Kuaiji, had a deep connection with the State of Wei.

Yang Dao's first wife was Kong Rong's daughter, but she unfortunately died of illness, so he later remarried.

Yang Dao's second wife, Lady Cai, was Cai Yong's second daughter, Cai Zhaoji.

From this perspective, Yang Dao was not only the son-in-law of Cai Yong, the Minister of Works of Wei, but also the brother-in-law of Wei Zhe, the ruler of Wei, and their relationship was very close!
Therefore, before leaving Ye City, Wei Zhe asked Cai Yong to write a letter home, and he also wrote a private letter and sent it to Kuaiji County. His original intention was just to play a game of chance.

But now it seems that choosing sides in Kuaiji Commandery is quite important.

If Yang Dao is willing to submit to the State of Wei, then Liu Yao's problem will be easier to handle.

Even though Liu Yao defeated Xu Gong and occupied Wu Commandery, he still couldn't cause any major trouble.

After all, Wu Commandery is bordered by Xuzhou to the north, Kuaiji to the south, Danyang to the west, and the sea to the east.

Once Wei Zhe eliminates Yuan Shu, Liu Yao will be surrounded by Wei's army.

Conversely, once Yang Dao attached himself to Liu Yao, the legitimate governor of Yangzhou, it would be almost inevitable that Liu Yao would become too powerful.

With control of Wu Commandery and Kuaiji Commandery, Liu Yao controlled half of the prosperous Yangzhou region.

With few soldiers and weak people, Yuzhang Commandery was no match for the two commanderies, and it would not be difficult for Liu Yao to take it over.

If Liu Yao wanted, it would be a piece of cake for him to take over Jiaozhou in the south.

To some extent, Yang Dao's choice directly determined the fate of Yangzhou and Jiaozhou.

This is also why Xun You felt regret.

This is how key times, key places, and key people influence the course of history.

However, Xun You only felt regret, while Wei Zhe was very puzzled.

"Since we are brothers-in-law, how can I treat him poorly?"

"Furthermore, with Lord Cai's protection in the country, this person's future is boundless."

"All of this, and yet we can't even get a single letter of surrender?"

In other words, Kuaiji Commandery was pushed to a historical juncture by a series of unforeseen events. Otherwise, Yang Dao wouldn't have really cared much whether he surrendered to Wei Zhe or not; he could have just slowly fought his way through.

Upon hearing Wei Zhe's words, Xun You, who was well-versed in the history of the aristocratic families, immediately explained:

"Your Highness, please calm down! Although Yang Dao is the son-in-law of the Cai family, he is ultimately the head of the Yang family of Taishan."

"The reputation of the Yang family and the honor of our ancestors are not something that a mere woman can influence!"

It should be noted that the Yang surname originated from the Yangshe clan, whose ancestor was Yangshe Dafu, a member of the royal family of the State of Jin during the Spring and Autumn Period.

Later, the state of Jin was divided into three states. The Yangshe clan was attacked and destroyed by other Jin ministers. Their descendants fled to avoid disaster and changed their surname to Yang, thus the Yang clan came into being.

The ancestors of the Taishan clan were originally from Guanzhong. Since the Former Han Dynasty, many clansmen have served as officials. In seven generations, ancestors have served as officials such as the two thousand shi, the nine ministers, and the colonel.

By the time of Yang Dao's grandfather, Yang Qin, the family had devoted themselves to their duties, earning the Yang clan the reputation of a family of loyal ministers.

Yang Qin died of illness while serving as the Commandant of the Capital Region, and his son Yang Ru later became the Minister of Ceremonies.

Yang Ru's son, Yang Xu, also served as the prefect of Lujiang and Nanyang, and was known for his integrity as an official.

The story of "Yang Xu hanging fish" has spread far and wide, making the Yang family of Taishan revered as "nine generations of pure virtue" and their family tradition praised by scholars throughout the world.

It can be said that the Taishan Yang clan has earned such a good reputation through the continuous accumulation of their ancestors over the generations.

In this situation, Yang Dao was no longer burdened by the simple matter of Kuaiji Commandery.

Let alone a wife, even if Wei Zhe threatened Yang Dao with his son, he probably wouldn't give in.

Inside the command tent, after explaining the reasons for the Taishan clan, Xun You analyzed Yang Dao's situation.

Finally, Xun You solemnly concluded: "This person can be won over with gentleness, but not with coercion."

Upon hearing Xun You's words, Wei Zhe sighed regretfully.

To be honest, if Xun You's analysis hadn't been so reasonable, Wei Zhe would have considered threatening Yang Dao with the lives of the entire Yang family of Mount Tai to see if he would give in!

However, it seems that this might backfire and leave Yang Dao with another beautiful story in history.

At the same time, Xun You suddenly stood up and stepped forward, smiling as he said:
"I am unworthy, but I am willing to make a trip to Kuaiji."

"I have been out here for so long and have accomplished nothing. I beg Your Highness to give me a chance!"

After all, the reputation of the Yang family of Mount Tai was known throughout the world, and the Xun family of Yingchuan was no less so.

Xun You believed that he and Yang Dao had some common ground and that Yang Dao should be able to make the wisest decision.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe thought for a moment and then nodded:
"Very well, let's not go by land, let's go by water instead. I'll have the navy escort you!"

(End of this chapter)