Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 228: Fight to Complete Victory
Xun Yu naturally thought of the secret, so he bowed and said: "This shows that Yuan Shao is fierce in appearance but weak in courage, and is definitely not a hero in the world. A hero should have the ability to contain the universe and the ambition to swallow up the world."

"Only Lord Xuande can understand the heart of heaven and earth, and be admired by all. He is the hope of the world for his virtue."

Xun Yu said sincerely.

Sometimes he couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion. Fortunately, he did not accept Cao Mengde's invitation to go to Yanzhou Dongjun as a chief official. Fortunately, by chance, he came to Qingzhou to pay a visit to Lu Gong and met Liu Shijun.

After a heart-to-heart talk, he finally made up his mind to stay in the plain.

Otherwise, I don't know where I would be wasting my time, and I would not be valued by the governor and treated as a close friend.

If a minister meets such a wise ruler in his life, what else would he ask for?

Xun Yu sighed, and could not help but think of Guo Fengxiao's words about choosing a master: "A real man has lifelong worries, not temporary troubles. Love is like flowing water, which can never be returned. A real man should not make himself sad. I only hope that I will not serve the masters of Wu Wang Fuchai and Yue Wang Goujian, and be laughed at and pitied by the world."

Thinking of Guo Jia, Xun Yu immediately bowed and said, "Sir, Yuan Shao's division of the army into two places should be an opportunity for our army to take advantage of. And the one who has been with the army in the battle and offered advice and strategies, and who has made every possible effort, and no one in the world knows that he is unstoppable, is none other than Xun Gongda."

"If you dispatch Gongda to join the army and fill in the gaps for you, you will be able to fight against the wise and strategic men in Hebei, such as Xu You, Ju Su, Xin Ping, Feng Ji, Tian Feng and others."

Xun Yu promoted talented people regardless of their relationship with him. At this critical juncture, he would rather recommend Xun Gongda to be transferred back to Pingyuan than to recommend his good friend Guo Fengxiao to be the chief military staff.

Because he knew Guo Jia's character very well, he was extremely fond of taking risks to attack the enemy, and the envoy would also take risky actions as long as he felt the situation was reasonable.

At this time, it would be best to recall Xun Gongda, who is good at making decisions on the battlefield, so that he can better fill in the gaps for the envoy.

Let him take a boat downstream at Luoyang Ferry, and he will be able to return to Pingyuan County in no time, which is much more convenient than transferring Guo Jia.

Liu Bei smiled when he heard this, patted Xun Yu on the shoulder, and said, "Wen Ruo, don't worry. I have already sent a letter back to Pingyuan. It should be within a few days. Hebei has many wise men, and there are also people who are good at making clever plans and strategies in the Central Plains and Jianghuai."

Liu Bei turned around and waved to Lu Su who was standing not far away, saying with a smile: "This is the man who is in charge of the Jianghuai strategists, Lu Su of Xuzhou, Lu Zijing."

"Lu Zijing from Dongcheng meets Xun Jun of Yingchuan."

Lu Su greeted him in a neither humble nor arrogant manner.

He had heard of the name Xun Wenruo a long time ago, and his reputation was widely known among the four states of Qing, Xu, Yan and Yu. At this moment, he was appointed as the Prime Minister of Jinan with a salary of 2,000 stones, and concurrently served as the assistant official of Qingzhou, in charge of overall management and dispatching of the rear.

When Lord Xuande went south to Xuzhou, he was in charge of all affairs of Qingzhou county, which shows that the trust in him far exceeded that of many staff members and clerks, and could be compared to Prime Minister Xiao of the former Emperor Taizu Gao.

Xun Yu could not help but look closely at the tall Lu Su with a turban on his head. Seeing that he was strong and muscular, he thought that he might be like Cui Jigui, with excellent swordsmanship.

"Xun Wenruo from Yingchuan has met Lord Lu from Dongcheng."

Xun Yu bowed in a gentle tone.

After Liu Bei introduced the two men, he walked with them and said, "Yunchang selected elite soldiers in Dongjun and organized them into the Tujiang Camp and Wuqian Camp, totaling 3,752 people. In addition, there are nearly 4,000 soldiers in Liangdu Camp and Hengqiang Camp, all of whom are combat soldiers. Add the combat soldiers stationed in the military offices of various counties in Yanzhou, and there are no less than 18,000 people." "And the Huben Cavalry in Qingzhou has 432 heavy cavalry, 657 light cavalry, and 413 scouts. Since the expedition to Heluo, the Huben Cavalry has not only not expanded, but has lost a lot of soldiers skilled in archery and horsemanship..."

Liu Bei couldn't help but pause while speaking, feeling a little distressed.

These were all his carefully selected cavalrymen, and they lost 167 men, not from injuries but from direct death in battle.

Suppressing his emotions, Liu Bei said, "Right now, Pingyuan County has more than 6,000 soldiers in the Xiandeng Camp, Shesheng Camp, and Tiejia Camp. Now I plan to expand the elite auxiliary soldiers of the Ruichong Camp to more than 1,000 combat soldiers. By then, the military headquarters in Qingzhou will have a total of 20,000 combat soldiers."

"I have decided to fight in Hebei. Qing and Yan will mobilize 30,000 combat troops and more than 60,000 auxiliary soldiers. I will also recruit 150,000 civilians from Qing, Yan, and Xu to transport food, weapons, and supplies. I will also recruit the remaining auxiliary soldiers to defend the counties of the two states adjacent to Hebei."

"The army will advance in two directions. Yunchang will attack Weijun, Zhaojun, and Julujun. I will personally lead the Qingzhou army to attack Ganlingjun and head straight for Anping County and Xindu. This battle can either not be fought, or we will fight all the way to Youzhou with a force as powerful as thunder. There is no talk of withdrawing troops until we reach Zhuojun."

“No matter how many people Yuan Benchu ​​summons from the Wuhuan, Xianbei, or even the Xiongnu to help him, if they dare to come, we will smash them all in Hebei.”

Liu Bei's eyes fixed and he spoke murderously.

"We can first issue a manifesto to the nobles and aristocratic families in Hebei, telling them that anyone who dares to send troops and money to Yuan Shao and rebel against the Han Dynasty will be exterminated regardless of the number of people in the clan or clan."

This battle was to thoroughly label Yuan Shao a traitor. Anyone who dared to follow Yuan and resist the Han army, no matter whether they were Yuan's disciples or former officials, or were motivated by interests, as long as they resisted and refused to surrender, they would be killed as a warning to the rest. Ten, twenty, or even thirty families would be targeted first.

When did they get the illusion that they would not be held accountable if they joined Yuan in rebelling?

In the early Han Dynasty, anyone who dared to rebel would be exterminated along with his entire family. However, Liu Xuande showed mercy and only executed the clan of the culprit, without implicating innocent people.

The Han Dynasty had nurtured virtuous scholars and officials for more than 400 years since Emperor Gaozu. As a result, this group of people turned into termites that were more likely to undermine the foundation of the Han Dynasty.

It just so happened that most of them were gathering in Hebei at the moment, so he didn't have to go around looking for them.

At this point, Liu Bei paused and said jokingly: "The battle in Hebei is like a pest pecking at Liang Muer. The Northern Expedition is not to destroy the Yuan family, but to kill the termites, just to replant the trees and give them a new life."

Xun Yu was silent for a moment, then he cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency has helped the Han Dynasty and killed the treacherous and evildoers, which will benefit the world."

It was because what Lord Xuande said made a lot of sense that Xun Wenruo had no way to dissuade him. Besides, this was a matter of fighting for the world, so how could he be merciful to the enemy? Even if many people were killed, they could only blame themselves for not surrendering even when they were on the verge of death.

If you like being a disciple of Yuan family so much, it would be better for you to follow Yuan Shao and leave some reputation in the afterlife.

Although Xun Yu thought so in his heart, he was still a little worried about the members of the Xun clan who had already moved to Handan.

I secretly thought: "Don't choose the wrong path at the critical moment."

Lu Su on the side did not make any suggestions. After all, he had just arrived in Qingzhou and was not familiar with the place. If he offered suggestions too frequently, people would have the impression that he was trying to steal the credit, which would easily cause discord in the future.

(End of this chapter)