stonecrandall Chapter 200
Chapter 200
A few days passed in a flash, and the sky was filled with clouds. Feng Ji and his party had quietly boarded a carriage and set foot on the road of no return to Youzhou. The wheels of the carriage seemed to be whispering unknown plots.
In the prosperous and vicissitudes of Chang'an City, Liu Yao sat upright at his desk, revealing a calmness that should not be underestimated. Although he had a lot of affairs in his hands, he handled them in an orderly manner, showing the demeanor of a king.
At this time, Guo Jia stepped lightly into the hall decorated in a simple and solemn manner, holding a secret letter in his hand, with a solemn expression. He slowly walked to Liu Yao's side and whispered:
"My lord, the secret envoy of Luowang just sent an urgent report, saying that Feng Ji had secretly sneaked into Youzhou and secretly met with Gongsun Zan."
When Liu Yao heard this, his eyes flickered slightly, and a cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, with sarcasm in his words.
"Oh? Yuan Shao, this guy, is still full of ambition? What kind of drama is he going to put on?"
Guo Jia frowned and a trace of worry flashed across his eyes when he heard this.
"Gongsun Zan and the lord have always been as close as brothers. The friendship between the two families is as deep as blood. In the Battle of Luoyang, we were at odds with Yuan Shao. The lord helped us after the war and donated some weapons and food. Now Yuan Shao's move is really puzzling and alarming."
Liu Yao knocked on the table lightly, making a crisp sound, as if he was thinking about something. After a moment, he said in a deep voice:
"Gongsun Zan has a strong temperament and values friendship. If Yuan Shao wants to sow discord, it may not be easy. However, we must not take it lightly and need to keep a close watch to prevent accidents."
Guo Jia nodded lightly, with a thoughtful light flashing in his eyes.
"My Lord, you are right. Do we need to send an envoy to quietly remind them about this matter?"
Liu Yao stroked his chin lightly, with a look of solemnity and hesitation between his brows.
"This is exactly what I find difficult to decide. Brother Bogui and I have a deep friendship, just like brothers, but if I rashly intervene in his family affairs, it may make him feel resentful. After all, this storm is stirring in the area under his rule, and every step needs to be cautious."
After hearing this, Guo Jia also nodded in agreement.
"My lord, what you said is very true. It is good to have a deep brotherly relationship, but if you accidentally intervene in the affairs of others' inner courts and handle them improperly, it will not only be useless, but may end up doing bad things with good intentions. It will not only fail to solve the problem, but also add to your own troubles. It is not a wise move."
"Well, let's do this. Order Wang Yue to personally monitor Yuan Shao. This man will not send Feng Ji for no reason. He must want to plan something."
"Yes!"
...
The half-month period is coming in a flash. Han Fu is like an ant burned by a raging fire. He paces anxiously in the hall, and every step he takes expresses his anxiety and despair.
All around, civil and military officials were silent as a forest, with different expressions, but all of them were at a loss, as if their minds were frozen by this sudden storm.
"Everyone, the current situation is urgent. What should we do? Do you have a good plan to solve this dilemma?" Han Fu's voice was slightly trembling, and his eyes quickly swept across everyone's faces.
At this time, a burly general stepped forward, and his voice was like a bell, penetrating the solemn atmosphere in the hall.
"Gongsun Zan is leading his army to Jizhou this time. His momentum is fierce and should not be underestimated. In the past, in the two battles of Luoyang and Zhoushan, our soldiers were stained with blood on the battlefield. His cavalry was invincible and almost unmatched. Our morale was frustrated and our troops were also severely damaged. It is really difficult to fight him head-on again."
He paused for a moment, looked at everyone with a deep gaze, and continued: "In order to protect the people of Jizhou from the flames of war and give our soldiers a chance to breathe, I dare to suggest that we may temporarily avoid his front and cede a few cities as a fund for peace talks. When the time is right, we can make plans later."
At this moment, a scholar stepped forward, his eyes wide open, and his voice was like a bell, shaking the surroundings:
"How dare you talk about peace!? Since ancient times, military generals have sworn to die on the battlefield, and civil officials have sworn to die on the battlefield. To give advice at the cost of one's life is the way of loyalty! But you are trying to beg for peace, which is a disgrace to our character! "
"Look at my Jizhou, we have strong soldiers and abundant food and grass. In terms of the number of soldiers, it is far beyond the reach of Gongsun Zan."
"Although he is powerful, he has traveled a long way and must be a tired army, and his spirit has been lost. Our army does not need to fight him head-on on the vast plains. We only need to rely on the strong city, which is as solid as a rock. Why should we be afraid of his white horse volunteers? This is a situation with favorable terrain and people, and victory is in our grasp!"
Hearing this, Han Fu was secretly panicked. He was not a power-hungry and war-loving person, and he had no ambition to swallow the world. Facing Gongsun Zan, a hero who was reborn from the flames of war, the fear from the bottom of his heart spread quietly like ice, and he could not suppress it.
"I wonder who is willing to lead the Jizhou troops to resist Gongsun Zan."
As soon as these words came out, all the generals in Jizhou retreated.
Originally, Jizhou also had Zhang He, butZhang He is now stationed in Yongzhou.
Gao Lan and Zhang He, two of the four generals of Hebei, are now all under Liu Yao's command. Wen Chou was also shot dead by Liu Yao, and now only Yan Liang is left.
For a moment, Han Fu was a little overwhelmed.
Without a suitable commander, you can't let yourself go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, right?
At this moment, a scholar suddenly had a bright idea.
"My lord, Yuan Benchu is still in Jizhou! Yan Liang under his command is also a fierce general. In the battle of Luoyang, these two people once joined forces to stop Liu Yao!"
Han Fu was immediately delighted.
"Yes! How could I forget Benchu? Hurry! Send someone to find Benchu quickly."
After a while, a messenger led Yuan Shao into the hall.
As soon as he came in, Yuan Shao bowed and said, "Thank you, Envoy Han, for providing food and grass for our army, so that we can have a place to stay."
Han Fu hurriedly walked up.
"Hey, General Yuan, you are too polite. I came here today to ask you for your opinion on something."
"Oh? What is it?"
Yuan Shao frowned.
"Hey, in the last battle in Luoyang, I followed General Yuan to fight Liu Yao, and Gongsun Zan used this as an excuse to avenge his brother."
"What should I do? General Yuan, we all followed you to fight, and that's why we offended Gongsun Zan. You can't just stand by and watch us die!"
Yuan Shao immediately stepped forward and held Han Fu's arm, saying sincerely: "Envoy Han! I, Yuan Benchu, will never forget your friendship. How can I watch you suffer such an unprovoked disaster?"
"Don't worry! Leave this matter to me, Yuan Benchu! I'm here! Jizhou is here!"
"Okay!!!"
Han Fu looked at Yuan Shao excitedly.
"Benchu's move is really a timely help. The people of Jizhou can be saved! I'll leave all this to you!"
Han Fu's eyes turned red when he said this, and he almost knelt down to Yuan Shao.
A trace of guilt flashed in Yuan Shao's eyes at this time.
But in a world of great strife, he must do everything he can to gain a foothold.
...