Double penetration: This Three Kingdoms has dragon energy

Chapter 97 The shocked ministers Yuan Wei and Yuan Shao!

Wang Yue also smiled and said, “Your Majesty, I think Ji Qiu wants to hide his strength while showing off his strength.

Hide your strength from some people, and show off your strength to others!

I have also carefully read this memorial and found that if someone who has no knowledge of Ji Qiu reads this memorial, he might really think that Ji Qiu is just a gambler who is proficient in strategy, good at using troops, and likes to take risks!

Only someone like Your Majesty, who knows Ji Qiu's true intentions, can see through his lies and recognize the power hidden behind him! "

"So, he is showing off his strength to me and hiding his strength from those who don't know him?" Liu Hong said with a smile.

Wang Yue nodded and said, "Your Majesty is the wisest!"

"It seems that he wants to cheat people! Then Master Wang, who do you think he wants to cheat?" Liu Hong asked with interest.

Wang Yue laughed and said, "They must be the people Your Majesty hates the most!"

"Hahaha, great! Great minds think alike!

Since he wants to trick the person I hate the most, how can I not lend him a helping hand? "Liu Hong laughed.

Liu Hong then issued an edict to convene a grand court meeting the next day, and all officials with a salary of 300 stones or above in Luoyang City had to attend!
Day two.

In the main hall of the North Palace, at the grand court meeting, the eunuch read out Ji Qiu's memorial in public.

Its name is "Ping Taishan Family Rebellion and Yellow Turban Rebellion".
"Your servant Ji Qiu bows his head and kowtows, deserving death.

I humbly believe that Your Majesty's virtue is as bright as the rising sun, but in Taishan County, there are treacherous and corrupt officials who are causing trouble and blinding your wisdom, causing good people to be forced to become bandits. I am deeply saddened and grateful that Your Majesty's power and wisdom have helped to eliminate this disaster. I will now explain the whole story in detail and report it to Heaven.

The Yang, Zang, and Bao families of Taizhou, though generations of nobles, have behaved like beasts. They relied on their vast fields and their thousands of slaves to set up their own courts and exploit the people of their village.

In spring, they exploited farmers by issuing "green seedling money", in summer they took women as servants, in autumn they increased land taxes and forced people to sell themselves into slavery, and in winter they hoarded grain at a high price, causing the tragic situation of "cannibalism" to spread throughout the county.

In the first month of the fifth year of Jian'an, the three great families secretly allied with the Yellow Turban leader Xu He, promising him to "plunder the city after it is captured" in order to lure him into attacking Fenggao County, hoping to take advantage of the chaos to intercept the relief funds from Your Majesty and establish a separatist regime in Mount Tai.

Xu He was originally an honest farmer. He was forced by aristocratic families to kill his father and brother. He had no choice but to become a bandit. However, he often cried and sighed in the camp: "I rebel against the aristocratic families, not against the emperor!"

When I first heard that the noble family was in contact with the bandits, I secretly sent scouts, disguised as peddlers and traveling doctors, to penetrate the Yang family estate.

Sure enough, they found 30,000 sets of armor hidden in the cellar, 1,000 war horses in the stables, and a painting of "The King's Aura of Mount Tai" on the wall. In the painting, Fenggao County was painted in blood, with a note next to it saying "In the year of Jiazi, the king will be here."

At that time, I was inspecting the border. When I heard the news, I returned to provide assistance at night. When I reached the bank of the Wenshui River, I suddenly encountered bandits blocking my way.

During the standoff, Xu He led a hundred of his personal guards, bound the envoy from the noble family, and brought him to the front of the army. He wept and kowtowed, saying, "I mistakenly believed the treacherous words and nearly made a grave mistake. Now that I hear that you are a loyal minister to Your Majesty, I am willing to die to atone for my sins!"

He then presented three secret letters from the aristocratic families to the rebels, which contained the "loot-sharing agreement" between the head of the Yang family and the Yellow Turban Army, and a mold of the "fake Wuzhu coins" privately minted by the Bao family.

I will immediately join forces with Xu He and attack the three great families from five directions:
He sent his general Wei Yan to attack the Yang family's fortress, breaking the strategic advantage of "relying on the mountain as a city", and captured and killed the entire Yang family!

He sent Dian Wei to destroy the Zang family's money furnace and burn 100,000 strings of privately-owned coins. The smoke and flames covered the sun, and the people rejoiced.
He issued an edict to summon the tenants of the Bao family to defect, promising them "three years of rent and tax exemption", and actually got 30,000 young and strong men to help him fight and take the Bao family's old house directly.

After this battle, the three major families were completely wiped out, the millions of dan of millet they had stored were used to fill the government warehouse, and more than 10,000 slaves were released as civilians.

Xu He, moved by Your Majesty's benevolence, led the remaining 80,000 Yellow Turbans to disarm and return to the fields, willing to "hold the plow to cultivate the king's land, and carry the spear to defend the border" for Your Majesty.
I have organized them into the "Taishan Volunteers" and named them the "Loyal and Brave Camp", and they are training day and night to be prepared for any eventuality.

The crimes of the Yang family and others were found to be against the will of heaven and against the will of the people. According to the Han Law, they should be "executed along with their entire family and their property should be confiscated."

However, I am concerned that some of them may have been forced to join the rebellion, so I have ordered people to distinguish the good from the bad. Only the ten clans of the main culprits and those who assisted the tyrant in committing atrocities will be sentenced to death, and the rest will be pardoned.

Whether it is appropriate or not, we await your judgment.

Today, the heads of the sons of three prominent families have been hung in Fenggao County, and the old and young in the county are all in tears, saying "We are glad to see the light of day again."

Xu He asked to be granted the surname "Liu" because of his merits. I, the minister, dared to make the request on his behalf and hoped that Your Majesty would grant it to encourage loyal and righteous people in the world.

I, as the lieutenant of the county, was disgraced. I failed to detect the treacherous plot early, which led to chaos. I deserve death.

Fortunately, thanks to your majesty’s great blessing, the treacherous officials have been brought to justice and the people have returned to the rule of the king.

I am willing to spend the rest of my life defending this strategic point, making Taishan County your Majesty's iron wall in the east and forever eliminating the threat of political chaos caused by aristocratic families!
I am so overwhelmed with emotion that I am submitting this memorial to your attention.

a certain day in a certain month in the fifth year of Jian'an
Ji Qiu, the official in charge of Taishan Commandery, bows his head and bows again.

After the eunuch finished reading Ji Qiu's memorial, the court fell silent for a moment.

Many officials here actually heard Ji Qiu's name for the first time, but the first time they heard it, Ji Qiu gave them a big shock.

This man actually pacified the Yellow Turbans in Mount Tai in just a few days!

However, although this matter seems important, it is actually not that important.

Although the Yellow Turbans were extremely harmful, it could even be said that they shook the foundation of the Han Dynasty.

But in fact, everyone knows that the Yellow Turban Army’s combat effectiveness is poor. They are just a group of rioters who cannot survive.

Therefore, anyone with a little ability can pacify the Yellow Turban Army.

But Ji Qiu actually defeated the three major families of Mount Tai, which is quite impressive.

They were basically from aristocratic families and knew too well the power of the aristocratic families in the local area, which could even be suppressed by the imperial power.

As an outsider, Ji Qiu was able to defeat the local aristocratic families, which shows his great ability.

But the most important thing is how Ji Qiu dealt with the three major families.

Although there are not many foreign governors who can defeat local families, there are still some.

This type of prefect was mainly those who were transferred from military generals.

They rose to prominence through military exploits and had a large number of elite soldiers and generals under their command, so they were naturally able to suppress the local aristocratic families.

But even these foreign governors who defeated the local aristocratic families would at most kill a few of the main culprits, and then select suitable people from the descendants of the defeated aristocratic families' side branches to become the new heads of the family.

On the one hand, this is because the aristocratic families in various places have been intermarrying with each other for generations, and their relationships are complicated.

If you carry out the act of extermination, you will not only kill one aristocratic family, but also offend many aristocratic families at the same time.

We are all living in this world, and no one can be strong forever. If you make everyone in the world your enemy, how can you continue to play?
On the other hand, it is because they still have to rely on local aristocratic families to govern the local area.

Killing them all at once would certainly make one feel good, but how would one manage them afterwards?

We can't let those common people who can only wield knives govern counties!
But no one expected that Ji Qiu would not play by the rules this time.

He actually killed all the descendants of the three great families!

On the one hand, this shows the man's cruel and short-sighted nature, and on the other hand, it confirms his completely opposed attitude towards the aristocratic families!

As for the court officials, they were extremely disgusted with such people and wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible.

If it were any other time, they would have criticized and killed Ji Qiu's entire family to serve as a warning to others.

But they couldn't do it at this time.

On the one hand, it was because Liu Hong had already controlled Luoyang City and the surrounding three auxiliary areas.

In this territory, no one can resist Liu Hong's will!
They knew that Liu Hong would not punish Ji Qiu, so it was pointless to say anything.

On the other hand, it was because Ji Qiu had handled the matter perfectly, and the evidence of the rebellion of the three major families in Mount Tai was conclusive and no one could question it.

Even if they wanted to defend him, they couldn't openly speak up for the traitors.

So for a moment, the whole room was silent and no one spoke.

Liu Hong, who was sitting on the dragon throne, had naturally anticipated this situation.

He knew that the ministers were using this silent way to express their dissatisfaction.

But Liu Hong didn't care, he was even happy.

I just like the way you guys are unhappy with me but can't do anything about it!

So he laughed heartily and said, "Since all the ministers have no objection, it seems that they acknowledge Ji Qiu's contribution!
In this case, meritorious service should be rewarded!
I have decided to appoint Ji Qiu as the governor of Mount Tai and grant him the title of Marquis of Andai Ting, with a fief of 500 households!"

Conferring a title of nobility upon Ji Qiu? The emperor actually conferred a title of nobility upon Ji Qiu?

The ministers looked at him sideways.

But still no one spoke.

The same principle applies, because they know that even if they speak, nothing can be changed.

Of course, the more important reason is that considering Ji Qiu's own achievements, it is not an exaggeration to make him a marquis.

However, this achievement does not refer to his achievement in pacifying the Yellow Turbans in Mount Tai, but his achievement in pacifying the three major families in Mount Tai.

And when the ministers thought that Ji Qiu had risen to power by stepping on the corpses of the aristocratic families, their impression of him became even worse.

The grand court meeting ended in endless silence.

Tufu's Mansion.

Yuan Wei gathered together Yuan Ji, Yuan Shu and other core members of the Yuan family in Beijing.

Everyone's face looked unhappy.

Yuan Wei looked at Yuan Shu coldly and said, "Didn't you say that Yuan Huan could get rid of Ji Qiu?
Didn’t you say he sent me a message a few days ago saying that everything went well with the plan?

In order to help him complete the task successfully, I gave him the Qiankun cloth bag!
The results of it?
Is this what you meant by being able to complete the task?

This is what you call smooth sailing!
According to the information I received, the Qiankun bag is now in Ji Qiu's hands.

Yuan Huan also joined Ji Qiu!

So many resources were spent, but things turned out like this!

The main person in charge of this matter under your command defected to the enemy, and you didn't even notice it.

Are you either not putting your heart into it or you are incompetent!
This is all your problem, you have to take all the responsibility for this matter!
All resources consumed in Ji Qiu's affairs will be deducted from your family's share!"

Yuan Shu was so scolded that he could not even lift his head. He lowered his head with his fists clenched, trying desperately to control his emotions. He knew that Yuan Wei was trying to shift the blame and take the opportunity to suppress his power.

Although he was nominally in charge of dealing with Ji Qiu, the person in charge, Yuan Huan, was also his subordinate.

But Yuan Wei had intervened many times before, so it was said that he was responsible, but in fact it should be Yuan Wei who was responsible.

If this thing succeeds, Yuan Wei will definitely take all the credit for himself and make this another great achievement of his.

But now it has failed.

Yuan Wei would naturally not take this responsibility himself, but would find a scapegoat.

Obviously, no one is more suitable than him!

At the same time, after Yuan Shao was driven out of Luoyang, his power had developed rapidly during this period, and he had already gained the same momentum as Yuan Shao did in the past, which made Yuan Wei feel threatened.

Therefore, by taking this opportunity, he was able to both shift the blame and suppress Yuan Shu's forces, killing two birds with one stone!
But there's no use knowing it.

Many times, the methods used by those in power are not particularly clever, nor are the intentions of those below them unclear.

It’s just that those in power use their authority and influence to oppress others, while those in lower positions have less power than those in power, so even though they know they are being bullied and oppressed, they can only swallow their anger.

This was what Yuan Shu was like at this time. He saw Yuan Wei's purpose, but was powerless to do anything.

You can only admit defeat.

Because resisting at this time would only give Yuan Wei an opportunity to suppress you even more harshly!
I may bow my head in attitude but not in my heart.

A seed of hatred is still deeply buried in my heart.

Yuan Ji stood beside him, glanced at Yuan Shu lightly, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Now his situation is not just good, but very good.

I really have to thank Ji Qiu.

Three months ago, it was because of his appearance that Yuan Shao, whose power had grown increasingly stronger and had begun to threaten his position, was driven out of Luoyang City.

Now, because of him, Yuan Shu, who was equally powerful and began to threaten his position, was also severely suppressed!

As expected, everything has two sides.

This Ji Qiu is a trouble to the Yuan family, but a treasure to him!

The total amount of happiness in this world is the same. Some people cry while others laugh. This is the way of nature!

"Uncle, I was careless for a moment, so Ji Qiu took advantage of me. Now that he knows his mistake, please don't blame him.

For now, we should consider what to do next!" Yuan Ji smiled and stepped forward to persuade.

Ning Mei's persuasion actually put all the responsibility for the incident on Yuan Shu's head, leaving him no chance of turning things around.

Yuan Wei hummed, looked at Yuan Ji with satisfaction, and then said: "Well, I'll give you a favor and end this matter here. Next, let's talk about our next plan!"

“At today’s grand court meeting, His Majesty’s attitude has been very clear.

He rewarded Ji Qiu generously, not only appointing him as the prefect of Taishan County, but also conferring him the title of Marquis of Andai Ting.

There is only one purpose, which is to make us completely shift our attention to Ji Qiu and spare no expense to eliminate Ji Qiu!

As for Ji Qiu, from the contents of his memorial, we can know that he is a man of great strategy and very good at using troops.

At the same time, Taishan County is a place with many mountains and forests, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

If we were to gather a large army and use force to eliminate Ji Qiu, it would probably consume a huge amount of resources.

This will result in our lack of power to suppress the emperor, allowing the emperor's power to expand further!
My nephew thinks that Ji Qiu is just a minor problem for our Yuan family. So what if he occupies Taishan County?
Taishan County has many mountains and forests but little arable land. If there were no other counties and prefectures to send in food and grass, Ji Qiu would have a hard time surviving, let alone assembling an army and threatening us!

Therefore, we must not fall into the emperor's trap of luring the tiger away from the mountain and focus our main attention on Ji Qiu.

On the contrary, we must concentrate a large amount of forces in Luoyang City and suppress the emperor's power again.

And once we have completely suppressed the Emperor, it will be a piece of cake to deal with Ji Qiu." Yuan Ji spoke eloquently, analyzing the current situation fluently.

Yuan Wei nodded repeatedly as he listened, feeling that Yuan Ji's analysis really resonated with him and was exactly the same as what he was thinking.

So he asked, "So what should we do with Ji Qiu now?
No matter what, he killed the three great families of Mount Tai and is the mortal enemy of our aristocratic family.

Our Yuan family is the leader of a prominent family, and this incident was caused by us. If we ignore it, I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the public, right? "

"Uncle is very thoughtful. We cannot completely ignore this matter. I think you can contact the aristocratic families in the four continents surrounding Taishan County.

Let them work together to blockade Taishan County!

We won't enter Taishan County to attack Ji Qiu, but we won't allow him to leave Taishan County either!
The most important thing is that all surrounding counties are not allowed to do business with Taishan County, and no caravans are allowed to enter Taishan County!

My nephew said before that there are many forests and little arable land in Taishan County. For a long time, mountain products have been traded with other counties and prefectures for food and fodder to feed the people of Taishan County.

"We can cut off Taishan County's external trade channels. This won't require too many resources, and it will deal a heavy blow to Ji Qiu, giving him no excuse to talk. It's like killing two birds with one stone!" Yuan Ji said.

Yuan Wei nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, yes, this is indeed a good way to achieve the best of both worlds.

Ji'er is worthy of being the next head of the Yuan family. He is indeed thoughtful and talented!
Let’s do it then!”

"Uncle, nephew has another suggestion."

Yuan Ji was even happier when he saw that Yuan Wei agreed with his idea. He secretly glanced at Yuan Shu, whose expression was becoming increasingly unsightly, and then made another suggestion.

Yuan Wei said: "Ji'er, if you have any other good ideas, please tell me now!"

"Ji Qiu is just a minor threat to our Yuan family. The real threat to our Yuan family is the emperor!
Therefore, next, our Yuan family must strengthen the power of Luoyang City. Not only must we regain the rights to the three auxiliary areas surrounding Luoyang City, but we must also find an opportunity to rebuild the Yuan family military camp and completely suppress Luoyang City!

To achieve this, we must concentrate the core strength of our Yuan family in Luoyang City as much as possible.

Benchu ​​is a talented person of our Yuan family. Although he had committed a minor offense before, my uncle made him leave Luoyang for three months, which can be regarded as a punishment for him.

Now that we need him, we should recall him to Luoyang to help the clan!" Yuan Ji said.

Yuan Shao was driven out of Luoyang City in the first place because his power in Luoyang City was too great. It not only threatened Yuan Ji's position, but even began to threaten Yuan Wei's position.

But now that Yuan Shao has been away from Luoyang for more than three months, the situation has changed drastically.

His original power in Luoyang had been divided up by Yuan Wei, Yuan Ji, Yuan Shu and others.

Summoning Yuan Shao back to Luoyang City now will not threaten the status of Yuan Ji and Yuan Wei, but will also allow them to use Yuan Shao's abilities to suppress Yuan Shu and serve the clan.

It can be said to kill two birds with one stone!
Yuan Wei had obviously thought through all this a long time ago, so after Yuan Ji finished speaking, he agreed without even a second thought: "As the eldest brother, Ji'er always thinks of his brothers, which really makes me happy!

Then send a letter to Yuan Shao and ask him to return to Luoyang City immediately!"

"Yes, nephew, I obey your command!" Yuan Ji bowed and saluted.

Yuan Shu, who was standing next to him, had a face that looked so ugly that he seemed to want to kill someone.

But there is no way. As a person of lower status, I have less power than others and can only let others control me!
……

Bohai County, Taishou Mansion.

Yuan Shao received Ji Qiu's battle report on pacifying Taishan County and the letter from Yuan Ji almost at the same time.

After reading Ji Qiu's battle report, Yuan Shao couldn't help but laugh and said, "Not bad, not bad, Ji Qiu really didn't disappoint me!
He unexpectedly took over Taishan County so easily and efficiently, not only eliminating the Taishan Yellow Turbans and the Taishan family, but even subdued Yuan Huan!
"That old bastard Yuan Wei and that idiot Yuan Shu must have looked very happy when they heard the news!"

"Congratulations, my lord! Ji Qiu has conquered Taishan County and subdued Yuan Huan. The family head's plan to replace my lord with Yuan Huan has been completely thwarted.

As a result, the Yuan family's power in Luoyang City is internally unbalanced, and the head of the family will inevitably summon the master back to Luoyang City." Xu You congratulated.

But Yuan Shao's face did not show much joy. He took out Yuan Ji's letter, threw it to Xu You and said, "You are right. Yuan Wei really wants me to return to Luoyang City. Yuan Ji has already written a letter.

But do you really think it’s a good thing?”

"Uh, why do you say that, my lord?" Xu You quickly glanced through Yuan Ji's letter and found that there was nothing wrong with it. He asked in confusion.

Yuan Shao said slowly, "I was in Luoyang before, and I was in the middle of the situation, so some things were hard to see through.

But after leaving Luoyang City and coming to Bohai County these days, I have come to see some things in the past more clearly.

Over the years, Yuan Wei has been actively cultivating Yuan Shu and me, and sometimes our strength has even surpassed Yuan Ji's.

But whenever our strength really exceeds that of Yuan Ji, we will be suppressed by Yuan Wei!

I have always believed that Yuan Shu and I both have a chance. As long as we perform well enough, we can surpass Yuan Ji and become the next head of the Yuan family.

But the truth is, we don't stand a chance!

In the eyes of old man Yuan Wei, he only regards Yuan Shu and me as Yuan Ji's whetstones!
He used us to hone Yuan Ji's talents, and at the same time used us to check and balance Yuan Ji's power, and also used us to do the dirty work that neither he nor Yuan Ji was willing to do!
By the time Yuan Ji's talents mature and he is nearing the end of his life and is about to abdicate, we will be completely useless.

Then he will discard us completely like a useless chamber pot!
So, what would happen if I returned to Luoyang?
It's just a repetition of the previous cycle."

"Well, what is the lord's plan?" Xu You asked.

In fact, he had already seen through what Yuan Shao said.

I had hinted about this to Yuan Shao before.

But Yuan Shao was confused by the situation at that time and found it difficult to wake up.

As for him, this was after all a family affair of the Yuan family, and since ancient times, distant relatives have never been separated, so he didn't say much.

We can only wait for Yuan Shao to wake up on his own.

Now that Yuan Shao has finally come to his senses, I can't help but feel very relieved.

But he was not sure what to do next.

I can only ask Yuan Shao’s opinion first!
(End of this chapter)