Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 279 The struggle for the crown prince has always been like this!
"What exactly is going on, Brother Xing? Why are you being so mysterious?"

Seeing that Xing Daorong, this usually carefree man, had recently become unusually mysterious, Cai Mao couldn't help but become interested.

It should be noted that after the King of Han conquered Jingzhou, the Jingzhou faction was led by these two men. The Jingzhou navy, which was conquered by the King of Han, was named the Jingnan Army by the King of Han, and the Jingzhou land force, which was conquered by the King of Han, was named the Fengtian Army by the King of Han.

To quell the rebellion and restore the Han Dynasty!
It is evident that the King of Han had high expectations and regards for the two men. Xing and Cai often took pride in this. Before returning to Huai, they devoted themselves to managing the affairs of various counties in Jingzhou and the stability of the families of nobles for the King of Han.

Throughout this process, the two helped each other countless times, demonstrating a close bond of mutual support and achievement.

The cooperation was so pleasant, and today, seeing that Xing Daorong seemed to have made great achievements and wanted to recruit him, Cai Mao did not hesitate and hurriedly asked him about it.

"Brother Xing, stop keeping me in suspense. If you ever achieve something great, lend me a hand. I, Cai, have never let you down."

Seeing Cai Mao's stance and considering their previous cooperation, Xing Daorong finally spoke up quietly, asking:
"Brother Cai, do you know about the Lingyan Pavilion? Do you know the 108 Heavenly Stars and Earthly Fiends, and the 365 stars in the celestial sphere?"

Cai Mao: "???"

What is this?

He looked at the roughneck in front of him with a rather strange gaze, his tone full of doubt.

"Brother Xing, you also understand astronomy and star observation? This is something only a person of extraordinary talent could do, right?"

"Thinking of what?

Only those who are destined for greatness and achievement can accomplish this!

Xing Daorong rolled his eyes at him and then quickly began to recount the events at Lingyan Pavilion to Cai Mao.

When Cai Mao heard this, he felt as if a thunderbolt had struck his mind, and his scalp tingled for a long time.

"Brother Xing is right. This is the perfect time for a great man to make his mark!"

If the King of Han intends to implement this strategy, it should be during his coronation ceremony. The period before the ceremony is our last chance to seize the initiative.

"That's right. If we can seize this opportunity to make great achievements, rise a few places in the rankings, and obtain a star rank, we will be among the elite for a whole year."

"That's exactly right!"
Unfortunately, with the war now over, if it weren't for the King of Han personally summoning and instructing me, I fear I would have had no opportunity to achieve great merit.

"Even a small mosquito is still meat. These days, Xing has spent money and effort to resettle many refugees and has also received one or two merits."

Brother Cai, now is not the time to be concerned about money. People like you and me would be missing out on the greatest opportunity to secure Jingzhou.

Next year, and the year after, if we wish to surpass the talents under the command of the King of Han, I fear there will be no more opportunities.”

"Brother Xing is absolutely right!"

"Now I shall sacrifice my family's wealth to relieve the nation's distress and assist the King of Han in his great cause!"

Having made their decision, the two immediately made their own arrangements.

The next day, the two met again, both looking grim.

Xing Daorong questioned:

"Brother Cai, I, Xing, have good intentions and wish to work with you on a great undertaking."

How could secrets be leaked?
The people of Huainan are generally peaceful and content, and there are many who need help.

Now, all the major families are rushing to help the people, but our family's foundation is not here, so how can we compete?"

Cai Mao was taken aback upon hearing this, and then sneered:
"You, Xing Daorong, look so honest, but you have the heart of a snake."

Mr. Cai trusted you and offered to help you, but today he noticed something was amiss and came to ask you about it.

Who would have thought that you, the villain, would preemptively accuse someone, and the thief would cry "Stop thief!"

Xing Daorong was taken aback upon hearing this. "If it wasn't you who leaked it? Then who could it be?"
Could it be that Brother Gan patted his chest and assured me, Old Xing, that he was the most discreet person, but in reality, he's a big mouth?

"It doesn't matter who leaked it anymore."

"But with our combined strength, even if we exhaust all our wealth, how many people could we possibly settle? How could we possibly compete with these local powerful families?"

Xing Daorong frowned and pondered for a long time, then suddenly said!

"I have a plan!"

Cai Mao: "???"

"Brother Cai, since our efforts are insufficient, why not recruit others to join us!"

Since the secrets have already been leaked, we can't just focus on the present.

Now we should send a message to Jingzhou, recruit people to join us, and use the strength of the Jingzhou families to quell the disaster of the Han River overflowing during the Battle of Xiangyang!

Building bridges and roads, providing disaster relief—if this calamity can be stabilized, it would be an immense achievement, as easy as taking candy from a baby.

"As expected of Brother Xing, this plan is brilliant. I can only admire your talent for giving a helping hand."

There is no greater merit than averting disaster. If we can quell the calamity in Jingzhou in one fell swoop, the merit will be so great that it should be shared by all.

"We must quickly secure Jingzhou now, or it will be too late once the King of Han holds his coronation ceremony."

Just one day earlier, in Yuan Yao's study.

Liu Ye walked slowly over, intending to check his disciple's recent studies, but Yuan Yao looked worried all day and knew nothing when asked.

Seeing that the child was still restless after being hit on the palm with the ruler several times, Liu Ye frowned and asked him why.

"What is troubling you, young master? Why are you so distracted?"

"teacher"

Looking at the teacher in front of him, he could be said to be the only person in the vast Yuan camp who, apart from his good friend Lu Xun, would truly stand by his side.

Little Yuan Yao covered his bright red palms and asked:
"Now that the father has many beloved sons, after becoming king, the crown prince will be the one to establish the kingdom."

Putting aside others, Yuan Ce is most adept at pleasing my father; I fear that my Yuan family's legacy will ultimately benefit others.

Liu Ye: "."

No, is it really appropriate for me, a member of Cao Cao's camp, to ask you about this kind of thing?

However, he then recalled that when he returned from Lujiang, he had seen the Han King casually remark: "Mao Jie is an accomplice of Cao Cao, and should be executed by a thousand cuts."

And so the wails of agony echoed throughout the entire execution ground in Lujiang that day.

Whenever Liu Ye thought of that day, he felt a chill run down his spine. Shang Yang was torn apart by chariots and Dong Zhuo was executed in the marketplace; these were the most brutal executions he had ever heard of.

Who would have thought they would come up with such a terrifying form of torture that makes life worse than death?

If I ever get caught, will I end up like Mao Jie?
With terrifying images and chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind, Liu Ye stared intently at his disciple before him, pondering a question.

Am I really one of Cao Cao's men?

The reason I joined Cao Cao's camp as a spy in the past was because Cao Cao was wise and powerful, with the ambition to conquer the world, while Yuan Shao was arrogant and extravagant, and had the behavior of usurping the throne.

But times have changed, and Cao Cao's fate is now sealed; he is nothing but a skeleton in a tomb, and the King of Han will surely capture him soon.

In contrast, the King of Han was at the height of his power, truly possessing the potential to change the world and usher in a new dynasty.

If that's the case, then my position as the Crown Prince's tutor seems to be priceless.
This is an old story about Lü Buwei's strategy of hoarding rare goods!

In this life, you shouldn't get stuck on trivial details.

Sometimes, changing your perspective or your considerations can transform a seemingly hopeless predicament into a smooth and easy path to success.

Liu Ye blinked, his gaze shifting from impatience to relief as he looked at Yuan Yao. He nodded and said:
"To be able to think of this, it's clear that you've made great progress this year, young master."

So, what are your thoughts? What do you want to do?

Liu Ye patiently guided him, and Yuan Yao answered frankly.

"Not long ago, my father tested my studies and talked about secret matters, such as the Lingyan Pavilion and the Hall of Merit."

At that moment, his eyes showed disappointment, and he said to me:
"Yuan Ce's talent deserves a place among the Heavenly Stars. If you possessed even a fraction of his abilities, what more could a father and husband ask for?" Yao believed that if he could accumulate more merits and rise above Yuan Ce in rank, he would surely gain his father's attention and regain his favor.

As he spoke, Yuan Yao recounted the Lingyan Pavilion, the Hall of Merit, and other matters to Liu Ye in detail, bowing deeply in gratitude.

"Yao was young and longed to go into battle and kill the enemy, just like Yuan Ce, to fight for his father and make contributions."

"What should I do now? Please teach me, sir."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ye was also shocked by the King of Han's skill. If this was true, within a few years, all the talents in the world would be under the King of Han's control.

This is what is meant by: "The King of Han spat out his food to welcome guests, and the hearts of the people turned to him."

In an instant, Liu Ye made his stance clear again: Cao Cao? A skeleton in a tomb? Never heard of him!

Ye was the tutor of the eldest son of the King of Han and the Grand Tutor of the new dynasty!

After a moment's thought, he devised a plan for Yuan Yao.

“What you say makes sense, young master.”

I have heard that the King of Han favored employing people through a "helping hand" strategy, resulting in countless records of merits for his adopted sons. I have even heard of records for the merits of the "Heir Apparent" and the "Crown Prince."

"what?"

Upon hearing this devastating news, Yuan Yao felt his head spinning.

How could such a vicious thing exist in the world, given the merits of the Crown Prince and the Heir Apparent?
What kind of wicked person could come up with such a thing?

What? My dad thought so? Then it's alright.

Yuan Yao looked at Liu Ye with a look of utter despair. He had thought that his greatest opponent was only Yuan Ce.

Little did they know that countless people in Yuan's camp were already eyeing this position and were secretly accumulating merits to compete for it.

Is this the legendary struggle for the crown prince position?

Yuan Yao reached out her little hand and grabbed Liu Ye's sleeve as if grasping at a lifeline. "Teacher, you must help me!"

Liu Ye coughed lightly, "Those in positions of power should not show their emotions. What kind of behavior is this, pulling and tugging at each other like this?"

Seeing that Yuan Yao was sitting properly, he slowly began to speak.

“I am mentioning this not to upset you, but to tell you that your previous idea of ​​making more contributions was correct.”

In accordance with the King of Han's consistent practice, anything that has contributed to the country can be exchanged for anything, which naturally includes the position of heir apparent.

The war has just ended, and there is no opportunity to gain merit. You should follow the example of the "give a hand" system and help others gain merit.

Now that we hold the secrets of the Lingyan Pavilion and the Hall of Merit, we can take this opportunity, as you, a member of the Yuan family, to recruit other prominent families to join us.

Together, we have benefited from the efforts of governing the people on both sides of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, promoting farming, resettling displaced people, expanding the population, developing and inventing, improving water conservancy, increasing yield per mu, and so on.

Although one person or one household may be small, if they are spread throughout Huainan, Jiangdong and other places, then as a son of the Yuan family, he could command the noble families to compete for the Lingyan Pavilion.

"At that time, for every noble family that is brought into the fold, the young master will receive a share of their achievements. Like countless rivers flowing into the sea, he will surely have a place in the Lingyan Pavilion."

Yuan Yao was no fool; after Liu Ye's reminder, he immediately understood.

Yes, he is young and cannot accomplish anything great on his own.

But he has an identity and intelligence, so he can recruit people to join him and work together. At that time, as the organizer, Yuan Jiazi can easily get a share of the credit from each family, right?

After all, without them, where would they get their first-hand top-secret intelligence?
The master and apprentice had made their decision and went to make their own arrangements.

So, not long after, when Sun Ce returned home from the military camp to see his mother and siblings, he was surprised to see a wooden sign standing in front of the Sun family gate that read: "Releasing grain to relieve distress."

Outside the government gate, countless poor people had gathered, all there to receive thin porridge.

Sun Ce: "???"

The gate is blocked; even the dignified former head of the Sun family can't get back home.

After much effort, he finally squeezed into the mansion, only to be greeted by a beautifully sculpted little maid who rushed into his arms and called out sweetly.

"Big brother~"

"Did you miss your older brother? I brought you some fun things on my way back."

Sun Ce, holding Sun Shangxiang, smiled and took out the clay figurine he had prepared in advance.

Unexpectedly, Sun Shangxiang didn't go to pick up the clay figure. Instead, she stood with her hands on her hips, speaking in a very mature tone.

"Brother, what time is it? You still have the mind to buy clay figurines?"

Sun Ce: "???"

When? The battle just ended, and there's nothing much going on.

Seeing his blank expression, Sun Shangxiang sighed, feigning anger at his lack of ambition.

"The struggle for the heir apparent has always been like this. The survival of the Sun family depends on this one battle, elder brother!"

Sun Ce: "."

Sun Shangxiang took Sun Ce's hand and ran towards the council hall.

"Mother, my eldest brother is back."

Sun Ce followed her into the council hall and bowed to Lady Wu. He saw Zhou Yu and the others in the hall, all of them with very solemn expressions.

Sun Ce was astonished and paled. "Gongjin, what exactly happened? What's with the distribution of porridge and food outside the mansion? Shangxiang just mentioned the survival of the Sun family. What happened that has brought the situation to such a critical point?"

Zhou Yu looked at him with resentment, "Bo Fu, why are you only coming back now? They made their move first."

Sun Ce: "???"

Sun Ce looked back blankly and asked, "Who are they?"

However, he never expected to hear such a name so seriously from Zhou Yu.

"Yuan Yao!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Ce couldn't help but want to laugh, but seeing everyone's solemn expressions, he could only suppress it and asked in a deep voice.

"How could a mere seventeen or eight-year-old child be in such a state?"

"A seven or eight-year-old child?"

How could a seven- or eight-year-old child command the powerful families of Huainan to obey him? How could a seven- or eight-year-old child ensure that all the disaster victims, refugees, and people fleeing from the north in Huainan were immediately provided with relief by the major families?
Bo Fu, you haven't realized while you've been in the military camp that the Han Kingdom has undergone a complete transformation.

If you still view him with the eyes of a seven or eight-year-old child, you might find yourself without even realizing it when you die without a proper burial.

The struggle for the crown prince position has begun.

Sun Ce: "."

No, what does this struggle for the crown prince have to do with me? You know perfectly well the filial piety between me and the Prince of Han.

Seemingly guessing what he was thinking, Zhou Yu sighed deeply.

"Bo Fu, abandon your illusions and prepare for battle. The struggle for the crown prince has always been like this. Regardless of our intentions, it's a matter of life and death."

This is not just a battle of wits between you and Yuan Yao, but also between Yu and Liu Ye.

Not long ago, Liu Ye suddenly made a move, using the pretext that the King of Han wanted to establish the Lingyan Pavilion and rank people by merit, and in Yuan Yao's name, he recruited aristocratic families to join him in governing the people and making contributions.

It was only because some of those prominent families had old acquaintances with my Zhou family that the news was relayed.

It is said that Yuan Yao has somehow obtained information that the one with the highest star ranking among the princes has a very high probability of being appointed as the heir apparent by the King of Han in order to stabilize the foundation of the state.

This is precisely the time for us to rally Yuan Ce's faction to compete with him for merit and to seize the star position.

Sun Ce: "→_←" (Scratching his head)
(End of this chapter)