My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 521 Qingzhou Edict
After the spring, Cao Cao issued an edict in the name of the court, removing Kong Rong from his post as Chancellor of Beihai and appointing him as Governor of Qingzhou, and removing Yuan Tan from his post as Governor of Qingzhou and appointing him as Grand Master of Ceremonies, and summoning him to the court.

At the same time, Cao Cao also issued an edict in the name of the emperor and the court, ordering General Liu Bei to send troops to escort Kong Rong, the governor of Qingzhou, to take up his post.

The seat of Qingzhou Prefecture was located in Guang County, which was under the jurisdiction of the Qi State.

Escorting Kong Rong to his new post was naturally a pretext for sending troops. If Yuan Tan could even back down on this, then Liu Bei would also know when to stop and simply take over the Qingzhou territory south of the Yellow River.

These were all things that had been discussed long ago. There was no reason for Liu Bei to actively attract Yuan Shao's pressure and then bear the sin of breaking the alliance.

Cao Cao also behaved very honestly, without playing any improper tricks.

Now it was Yuan Shao's turn to sit on the wax.

Although he was the Grand Marshal, a position above the Grand General, he was ultimately still a subject.

When Cao Cao acted under the guise of the emperor's orders, Yuan Shao found himself in a difficult position.

"I regret not heeding Zifu's advice back then."

In his study, Yuan Shao sighed to Xu You, Xun Chen, Guo Tu, Xin Pi, Feng Ji, and others.

The reason why the study was full of people from Henan was ultimately because these people had no roots in Hebei, no clan, no land, no property, and no retainers.

Even if Yuan Shao wanted to use them, he could only utilize their strengths.

These people's greatest assets, besides their reputation and talent, are their understanding of and influence over Henan.

Therefore, Yuan Shao entrusted these individuals with the task of gathering intelligence on Henan. Xu You, Xun Chen, and Guo Tu had come precisely because of the latest imperial edict.

Yuan Shao's exclamation made everyone present feel somewhat awkward.

Xu You and Feng Ji were alright, but Guo Tu felt a mix of emotions, including some jealousy and resentment.

It should be noted that the first person to propose welcoming the emperor was Guo Tu. It was he who traveled thousands of miles and risked his life to go to Chang'an to pay tribute and understand the situation in Guanzhong. Only then was he able to return and advise Yuan Shao to send troops to support the emperor and welcome him back to Hebei.

But you, Yuan Shao, absolutely refused, and because the Hebei faction was also a staunch supporter, I changed my tune and spoke up for you.

So now it's all Ju Shou's doing?

Guo Tu harbored deep resentment towards Ju Shou, stemming from both a conflict of interest and intense jealousy arose from Yuan Shao's remark.

However, on the surface, Guo Tu did not reveal anything. Instead, he lowered his eyes and said, "Zifu is indeed a great talent, but he is too arrogant. If he knew about this, he would probably complain that the lord did not listen to him."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao's face immediately darkened. It wasn't that he couldn't see that Guo Tu was trying to sow discord, but the problem was that Guo Tu's words were absolutely true.

Ju Shou was truly adept at dredging up old grievances and directly criticizing Yuan Shao, leaving Yuan Shao in an awkward position.

This was the main reason for Yuan Shao's gloomy expression; Guo Tu's instigation was merely going with the flow.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore."

Yuan Shao waved his hand: "I will talk to Zifu about it myself. But all of you, tell me, how should I respond to this imperial edict?"

As Yuan Shao's strategist, Xu You was quite clever, but he was simply too greedy and insatiable.

He stroked his goatee and slowly said, "This is easy!"

Yuan Shao was overjoyed and hurriedly asked, "Please teach me, Ziyuan."

Xu You nodded and said, "We absolutely cannot go to Luozhong. If we go, we will be like lambs to the slaughter, and our precious sword will be lost."

Yuan Shao and the others all nodded in agreement.

Even though Yuan Shao now favors his third son, Yuan Shang, to inherit his career, Yuan Shao only has three sons in total. His eldest son, Yuan Tan, is quite capable and is a man of both literary and military talent. How could he easily give him up?

Xu You continued, "Since the court has already issued an edict to remove the eldest son from his post as governor of Qingzhou, the Grand Marshal can do nothing about it. The only option now is to petition the court to appoint the eldest son as governor of Jizhou, which should preserve him. As for Qingzhou, we should prioritize Hebei. If Liu Bei overestimates his abilities and dares to cross the river, we should first defeat his army, and then sweep through Qingzhou and bring our troops to the gates of Xuzhou."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao was immediately stunned.

Instead, Xun Chen, Guo Tu, Xin Pi, and the Xin brothers all spoke up to support Xu You's suggestion.

As is well known, the Henan faction actually supported Yuan Tan, while the Hebei faction supported Yuan Shang.

Xu You was playing a clever trick here, taking advantage of Yuan Shao's indecisive and hesitant nature.

Yuan Shao actually didn't want to go to war with Liu Bei, at least not now.

Liu Bei didn't have an emperor, so what benefits could he gain from starting a war?
If they won, Cao Cao would reap the benefits; if they lost, they would face certain death and the destruction of their kingdom.

Xu You took advantage of Yuan Shao's idea, hoping to turn misfortune into fortune.

Previously, because Yuan Shao favored Yuan Shang and intended to depose the eldest son and establish the younger son in his place, he sent Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi to other provinces, leaving only Yuan Shang in Ye City, Ji Province.

Now, Cao Cao has abolished Yuan Tan's position as governor of Qingzhou by imperial edict and is summoning him to Luoyang.

There was absolutely no way Yuan Shao would accept the offer. Not to mention that Yuan Shao was reluctant to part with Yuan Tan, even if he were willing, he couldn't bear the loss of face.

Therefore, if Yuan Tan wanted to refuse the imperial court's summons, he would naturally have to be given a reasonable position.

Of all the important positions in Hebei, only the Governor of Ji Province, which Yuan Shao himself held concurrently, was the most suitable.

The reason Xu You was called the Governor of Ji Province instead of the Prefect of Ji Province was to make it sound better. After all, the governor did not have the same power and influence as the prefect.

As for whether Yuan Shao would grant him the title of governor or the title of provincial governor after his death, would Yuan Shao really be willing to give up the title of provincial governor to the governor?

Sure enough, seeing his trusted men from Henan vying to support Xu You, Yuan Shao instinctively felt a surge of anger.

He's not dead yet.

They all started eyeing what he had, one by one.

Besides Yuan Shao, there was another person who was very anxious, namely Feng Ji from Nanyang.

Although Feng Ji belonged to the Henan faction and had a good relationship with the Xun brothers (Xun Chen, Xin Pi, and Xin Ping), he was one of the very few supporters of Yuan Shang within the Henan faction.

Therefore, he was secretly anxious, fearing that Yuan Shao would soften his heart and agree.

After much hesitation, Feng Ji had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak to Yuan Shao, saying, "My lord, this matter is of great importance and cannot be decided rashly. Why not discuss it in the hall, so that we can gather ideas from all sides and learn from each other's strengths?"

Upon hearing Feng Ji's words, Yuan Shao was immediately jolted awake, but the members of the Henan faction began to look at him with hostility.

Feng Ji's expression remained unchanged, but he was genuinely feeling guilty and could only avoid everyone's gaze. Seeing that Xu You and the others were about to persuade him further, Yuan Shao quickly waved his sleeve and said coldly, "As Yuan Tu wishes, let's discuss this matter in court."

Xu You and the others all looked regretful and resentful, regretting that they hadn't been able to persuade Yuan Shao at that time, and secretly cursing Feng Ji for speaking out of turn. Even though Yuan Shao clearly didn't want to agree to their demands at the time, that didn't stop them from blaming Feng Ji.

After all, this is their only chance. If things get to the point where those people from Hebei get involved, what good can come of it?

As expected, the Hebei faction was furious upon hearing this.

They had gone to great lengths to drive Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi out of Ye City, the political center.

Now you actually want to sneak away, not only to take the opportunity to come back, but also to get the governorship of Ji Province. Do you think we have all the people from Hebei?

It should be noted that, with the exception of a very small number of people, the vast majority of the Hebei faction supported Yuan Shang, and these very few people were people with a strong sense of public duty, such as Tian Feng and Ju Shou.

Ju Shou and Tian Feng had advised Yuan Shao not to depose the eldest son and establish the younger one in favor of the younger one, and that even if he wanted to support Yuan Shang, he should not enfeoff his sons.

However, Yuan Shao turned around and suspected Ju Shou and Tian Feng's intentions, stubbornly dividing the four prefectures of Hebei among his two sons and a nephew.

As a result, the hall was in an uproar, with voices of opposition ringing out.

Not to mention the Hebei faction that supported Yuan Shang, even Tian Feng and Ju Shou felt that the Henan faction was courting death.

Tian Feng, Ju Shou, and others did not want to go to war with Liu Bei. Not to mention that they felt they should rest and recuperate at this time, even if they were to really go to war, they would have to fight Cao Cao. What benefits would they gain from fighting Liu Bei?
But now that Liu Bei has taken the initiative to invade, how can Yuan Shao, as the most powerful warlord in the land, easily back down?
Even if things don't go well, we should at least hold onto our core base.

The Henan faction, driven by self-interest, actually neglected public duty for private gain, and even plotted internal strife. Given Tian Feng and Ju Shou's strong, upright, and incorruptible character, they were naturally furious.

At this time, the Hebei faction had four top leaders: Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Shen Pei, and Lu Zhi.

Lu Zhi died young, passing away in 192 AD, leaving behind three powerful figures: Tian Feng, Ju Shou, and Shen Pei.

If Tian Feng and Ju Shou were enraged by the despicable actions of the Henan faction, then Shen Pei was determined to fight the Henan faction to the death.

As Yuan Shang's biggest supporter and the head of the most powerful clan in Hebei, the Shen family had staked their entire fortune and lives on Yuan Shang.

At this moment, he was naturally extremely angry. If Yuan Tan really became the governor of Ji Province, or even just the governor of Ji Province, then his Shen family would be doomed to die without a burial place.

In Yuan Shao's court, the Hebei faction had always been dominant while the Henan faction had been weak, maintaining a fragile balance under Yuan Shao's personal favoritism.

Therefore, after losing Yuan Shao's support, the Hebei faction was particularly angry, and in this meeting, the Henan faction was almost completely crushed by the Hebei faction.

The final outcome of the meeting greatly surprised the Henan faction, which was to order Yuan Tan to defend the border.

Yuan Tan was stationed in Qingzhou and had 30,000 to 40,000 troops under his command, so he was only slightly outnumbered.

With the efforts of the Henan faction, Yuan Shao was somewhat reluctant to part with Yuan Tan, and at the same time, he hoped for a victory.

Afterwards, Yuan Shao appointed Chunyu Qiong as the commander-in-chief, leading 30,000 elite troops to reinforce Qingzhou, making him Yuan Tan's deputy.

Both armies quickly set off, and war was imminent.

Liu Feng did not stay in Tancheng, but instead turned around and headed south back to Wu County.

Given Liu Feng's current territory, Wu County is already in a somewhat remote location. Liu Feng has considered moving his headquarters to Shouchun, but Shouchun is indeed not as safe as Wu County.

If the Central Plains suffers any setback, Shouchun will be directly exposed to the enemy's military might; if the Central Plains makes a breakthrough, Shouchun's location will become remote.

Moreover, if a relocation were to be undertaken, besides Shouchun, the location of Wuhan in the future would also be a very favorable option.

Wuhan is located in the eastern part of the Jianghan Plain and the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. The Yangtze River and its largest tributary, the Han River, converge here. With convenient access by both water and land, it is a national transportation hub and enjoys the reputation of being a "thoroughfare connecting nine provinces".

Except for the fact that no city has been built here yet, it almost completely overwhelms Shouchun.

In the original timeline, twenty years later, the cities of Xiakou and Lushan, which Sun Quan established on the Jianghan Plain, were the prototypes of modern-day Wuchang and Hanyang in Wuhan.

This shows that the foundation for building a city already existed at this time.

Therefore, after much hesitation, Liu Feng decided to put his idea aside for the time being and decide on a course of action depending on how things developed.

Although Wu County is good, it is too remote, and the shogunate will have to be moved out sooner or later.

When Liu Feng arrived in Shouchun, a messenger came from Tancheng in Xuzhou.

Liu Feng was somewhat surprised, thinking that something had happened and Liu Bei had sent someone to call him back.

When they finally met him, they realized he was a messenger from the south bringing news of victory.

Kuai Yue launched a five-pronged attack, and in just half a month, he had already taken control of the capital cities of the four counties east of Jiaodong.

Subsequently, Kuai Yue led only a hundred or so elite cavalrymen by sea directly to Jiaozhi.

Upon hearing the news, Shi Xie hurriedly went out to greet them, but was captured by Kuai Yue.

Upon hearing this, Liu Feng asked with a mixture of surprise and delight, "Why did you take such a risk, Mr. Kuai? If the Shi family dares to harm you, I will raze them to the ground!"

The messenger quickly looked up and replied, "My lord, do not worry. After General Kuai took control of Shi Xie, no one in the Shi family dared to make any rash moves and they all bowed their heads in obedience."

Liu Feng breathed a sigh of relief. He had intended to give Kuai Yue an important position and was genuinely worried about the risks Kuai Yue had taken.

Fortunately, the Shi family performed consistently well. Bu Zhi had subdued the Shi family with only four hundred men, and Lü Dai had even tricked and killed Shi Xie's sons without shedding a drop of blood.

However, Liu Feng did not let his guard down and continued to ask, "What happened next?"

The messenger hurriedly continued to report, saying that the Xuezhou navy, which Kuai Yue had arranged as a backup, had also arrived in time. After landing, they took control of Longbian County, sealed the government treasury, appeased the people, and placed the entire Shi family under house arrest.

Subsequently, Kuai Yue specially dispatched an envoy to report and earnestly requested Liu Feng to petition for Shi Xie to be recruited into the military headquarters. At the same time, he also instructed Liu Feng not to allow Shi Xie to enter the court.

This instruction fully demonstrates Kuai Yue's shrewdness and experience.

People like Guo Gong, Liu Yao, and Liu Biao in the past were all officials who were transferred to other posts. Even if they worked hard for many years, their foundation was always limited.

Liu Biao fared somewhat better, as his efforts in Jingzhou were quite fruitful due to his talent and favorable circumstances. As for Guo Gong, Liu Yao, and others, they were merely ordinary regional governors, often swayed by the powerful clans and gentry under their command.

Therefore, even if these people were released and sent to the capital, they would be insignificant and would not have any impact on the local area.

But Shi Xie was different. He was not just an individual; behind him was a vast family that had been deeply rooted in Jiaozhou for three hundred years. Moreover, in terms of reputation alone, Shi Xie's influence in Jiaozhou was probably much stronger than Liu Biao's.

This is not to say that Shi Xie was stronger than Liu Biao, but rather that Jiaozhou lacked rivals.

(End of this chapter)