Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 150 Yuan Shao: Unprecedented Pressure

As Liu Biao had expected, Yuan Shao, who was still fighting Gongsun Zan in Youzhou, learned the news of Liu Bei's capture of Luoyang before anyone else. However, he did not expect that Tao Qian would recommend Liu Xuande to be the governor of Xuzhou.

Yuan Shao was stunned for a few seconds before he reacted. His eyes were filled with anger. He threw down his helmet, veins popping out on his forehead as he said, "We must not let Liu Bei get Xuzhou. Otherwise, Jizhou will be in danger, and the Yuan family will be in imminent danger."

With Yuan Shao's permission, Ju Su, Xu You, Xin Ping, Xun Chen and others also picked up the bamboo slips and read them carefully.

It was like a bolt from the blue. Ever since the news came that Wen Chou's cavalry was defeated by Lu Bu, they had a premonition that the Heluo land must belong to Liu Bei.

Thinking about countering the reputation brought by Liu Bei's capture of the capital Luoyang and the uncontrollable things.

Ju Su quickly offered advice to Yuan Shao, saying, "Mr. Yuan, Liu Bei is unstoppable right now. We must welcome the emperor to our side before we can fight against Liu Bei."

"It would be better to send someone to pass through Bingzhou and find a way to enter Guanzhong to welcome Emperor Liu Xie and punish the rebellious emperor, so as to curb Liu Xuande's prestige."

At this moment, none of Yuan Shao's many staff members dared to stand up and sing a different tune.

He also tacitly agreed with Ju Su's words.

If the Yuan family fails, none of those who placed bets will be able to escape, and they will all feel the unprecedented pressure brought about by the impending revival of the Han Dynasty.

As Yuan Shao suffered several defeats in battles with Liu Bei, the prophecy of the golden sword spread among the gentry and wealthy families in Jizhou.

Rumor has it that Liu Xuande will, like Guangwu, conquer Hebei and then rule the world.

It depends on whether the Hebei gentry choose to stand on the side of the man who claims to be "Liu Ziyu, the heir of Emperor Cheng of Han" or on the side of "King Xiao Liu Xiu". If they make the wrong choice, they will be fatal.

Yuan Shao and his staff all knew that if they did not lead their army to defeat Liu Bei once, the people in Jizhou would probably lose their morale.

There was no way to retreat at this moment, and the only option was to defeat Liu Xuande.

Yuan Shao then took prompt action and sent envoys to Gongsun Zan's military camp to negotiate peace. Unfortunately, all three envoys were killed by Gongsun Bogui.

After several fruitless negotiations, Yuan Shao's face turned darker than the bottom of a pot. He angrily shouted, "Gongsun Zan is stupid. The people's livelihood in Youzhou is in decline. What benefit will he get from fighting with me?"

"Gongsun Yue was killed by a stray arrow on the battlefield, and I, Yuan Benchu, did not kill him personally. Yet, he has been blaming me for so many years and has refused to give up."

"Does it really have to be until death?"

Yuan Shao could not understand why Gongsun Zan was so stubborn. Since he led his troops north to fight, he had tried every means to make him stop fighting, but the other side was determined to go against him.

"Do you have any plan that can help me defeat Gongsun Zan and return to Yecheng?" Yuan Shao asked.

He didn't want to continue wasting time with Gongsun Zan in Youzhou, so he had to lead his army to attack Qingzhou as soon as possible and not let Liu Xuande take over Xuzhou easily.

Meng De is also not worthy of being used. He currently only occupies Danyang, Kuaiji and Wujun, while Lujiang and Yuzhang are still in the hands of Liu Yao.

However, Yuan Gonglu actually gave up half of Lujiang and directly sent Sun Jian's son to cross the river to attack Cao Mengde. The two forces fought repeatedly in Yangzhou, giving Liu Yao a chance to catch his breath.

Yuan Shao looked at the current situation in the world from afar and saw that no one could help him suppress Liu Xuande, so he had to lead the troops there himself.

"Mr. Yuan, the Gongsun clan has been extremely cautious recently. There is no chance to defeat the enemy in a short time. We can only use Qu Yi to lead his troops to continue fighting Gongsun Zan in Youzhou, and the rest of the army will retreat to Yecheng to rest for a while."

"When the spring ploughing season comes next year, we will send troops to Qingzhou to prevent Liu Xuande from farming. The corn harvest will surely be greatly reduced, and the army will also be frustrated. We only need to find an opportunity to defeat Liu Bei once, and the people of Jizhou will be settled again."

Ju Su pondered for a long time and came up with a feasible method.

"Mr. Yuan, if Liu Xuande goes to Xuzhou, Yuan Gonglu and Cao Mengde, who are still attacking each other in Yangzhou, will certainly be on guard. It would be a good idea to send someone to Yangzhou to persuade them to attack Xuzhou."

"Although Tao Gongzu handed Xuzhou over to Liu Bei, the nobles and powerful families in Xuzhou may not be willing to be on the same side with him. Measuring the land can make the powerful shudder!" Xu You shook his head and sneered.

"You and He Ziyuan both have good ideas, and I can accept them. Do you have any other strategies?" Yuan Shao said, looking at Xin Ping, Xun Chen, Shen Pei and other officials. After all, there were as many as 20 to 30 people present, all of whom were rare talents among the children of various clans and had long been tied to his Yuan family.

"Since there is no solution for the time being, is there any famous scholar willing to go to Yangzhou on my behalf?" Yuan Shao asked again when he saw that everyone was silent.

Who knew that after this question, all the celebrities kept silent.

As a close official of Lord Yuan, he would know the news. As long as anyone from Jizhou went to Qingzhou or Yanzhou, he would be reported by the local people within a few days.

Whether it was the knights-errant in the city, the miserly clerks in the countryside, or the common people, they were all keeping an eye on outsiders, and would report any sign of misconduct.

After a few days of reporting and waiting for the officials to verify the report, you can get 500 coins.

If there was no food shortage, four hundred coins could buy a pig and five hundred coins could buy a sheep.

Moreover, the coins circulating in Qing and Yan states were not crude coins like those minted by Dong Zhuo, but Wuzhu coins of excellent quality and weight, whose purchasing power far exceeded the privately minted currencies of various states.

This is also the reason why merchants from all states are willing to go to the merchants to sell them. After selling them, they can take the money back and put them in the warehouse for collection, which looks good.

When Liu Bei learned about this, he solemnly ordered that anyone who dared to imitate him would be deprived of the right to trade in Qing and Yan.

At the same time, it was strictly ordered that officials and wealthy and noble families were not allowed to hoard Wuzhu coins privately, and they must be allowed to circulate in the market.

In this case, if the people caught a spy, it was like catching a pig or a sheep.

Whether in the countryside or in the county town, countless people are secretly gearing up and watching the people passing by with wide eyes.

However, Lord Yuan wanted them to secretly cross Qingzhou and Yanzhou and then go to Yangzhou. Isn't this sending people to their deaths?
They were afraid that they would be caught by the people and thrown into jail halfway, and that their clansmen would not be able to find out which village they disappeared from.

Just when Yuan Shao looked unhappy, a voice sounded from the hall.

"Mr. Yuan, I am willing to ask for permission to go on a diplomatic mission to Yangzhou."

Xin Pi stood out from the crowd, bowed and greeted.

Yuan Shao took a closer look and immediately smiled, "It turns out to be Zhongzhi's brother Xin Zuozhi. Since you have volunteered, I will grant your request."

"Xin brothers are indeed Shao's pillars of support. Come up to the hall and sit at the same table with your brother."

Yuan Shao could not help but praise him happily, and stood up to invite Xin Pi to take the seat.

It also made many scholars blush and feel a little embarrassed, as if they were being scolded indirectly by Yuan Gong.

"Sharing Mr. Yuan's worries is the duty of an official. I dare not take the place of superiority." Xin Pi said respectfully.

"Well, you are worthy of being a member of the Yingchuan noble family. Shao will look at you with new eyes. Please give me a seat in the hall."

As Yuan Shao spoke, he ordered people to bring in seats.

This time, Xin Pi did not refuse. He straightened his clothes and sat down with peace of mind.

Xin Ping looked at Xin Pi with complicated eyes, wondering what he was thinking.

Quietly sigh: "Clan!"

(End of this chapter)