The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 164 Let's each make our own appearance and see whose acting skills will amaze the audie

Chapter 164 Let's each make our own appearance and see whose acting skills will amaze the audience
Hebei, Jizhou, Yecheng.

Yuan Shao was in a high position and was in a good mood.

"Everyone, the imperial court has responded to the letter sent to Chendi."

"The court not only appointed me as a general, but also gave me the authority to supervise the troops of Qing, Ji, Bing, and You."

"He also gave me a golden seal and a purple ribbon. This shows that Cao and Liu are still afraid of my power in Hebei and dare not act rashly."

After receiving the title of general, Yuan Shao looked much better.

His current status is higher than that of Cao Cao, Liu Bei, or even any other prince in the world.

Shen Pei said:
"It is precisely because Cao and Liu are weak that we should hurry to march south. If we don't take it now, it will be too late to regret it."

Guo Tu and Shen Pei were both radical advocates of war and hoped for a quick victory.

Seeing this, Guo Tu immediately echoed and said:

"Now that Yuan Gonglu is dead, the land south of the Huai River has been taken by Cao and Liu."

"Cao Cao occupied Lujiang, and Liu Bei occupied Jiujiang."

"The remaining counties were all decided by issuing edicts."

"This is a major threat to Hebei. You must pay close attention to it and be cautious."

Obviously, Guo Tu and Shen Pei were both reminding Yuan Shao that Cao and Liu's territories were expanding too fast and were about to unite to resist Hebei.

"Cao Cao and Liu Bei own four states, all of which are fertile areas. If there is no rift between the two families, they will unite instead."

"Since it is a major threat, we must take early action."

Although Yuan Shao controlled the four states of Hebei, he also had the Wuhuan and Southern Xiongnu as his allies.

But in Hebei, the only truly prosperous place is Jizhou.

A white complexion can cover up a hundred uglinesses, and wealth can cover up everything.

Jizhou is so rich that people forget that Bingzhou and Youzhou are both bitter and cold places.

If the Cao and Liu families are taken separately, they do not seem to be rich, but if they are combined, fertile lands such as Yingchuan, Runan, and Huainan are listed one by one.

This has to attract attention.

The hall was completely silent, everyone was keeping to themselves and keeping silent.

Yuan Shao looked around, scanned the crowd, and asked in a deep voice:

"What do you think of Shen Zhengnan's words?"

Now the situation in the world is becoming clearer and clearer. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that a major war is inevitable between Henan and Hebei.

It's just a matter of when the fight will start.

At this time, Gongcao Xinpi walked into the hall with a letter in his hand.

He glanced around at everyone, walked quickly to Yuan Shao, bowed and said:

"General, there's news coming back from Yi Jing."

Did Gongsun Zan reply?

As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately attracted everyone's attention.

It can be said that the survival of Gongsun Zan affects the decision-making of the entire Hebei Province.

Yuan Shao hurriedly took the letter, read it quickly, and immediately became furious.

"Gongsun, you dare to reject my kindness and fight me again!"

"How hateful! How annoying!"

After he finished speaking, he threw the letter heavily to the ground.

Gongsun Zan actually refused to reconcile...

All the officials in Hebei sighed, feeling that this man had too stubborn a temper.

Previously, when Yuan Shao sent a letter to the court requesting to be appointed as the general, he also adopted the strategy of his deputy Ju Su.

He immediately sent a letter to Gongsun Zan to negotiate peace.

Firstly, it can slow down their hearts, and secondly, if peace can be achieved, the army can directly march south and wipe out Henan.

But unexpectedly, it had become so destitute that only Yijing city was left.

Gongsun Zan still refused to bow to Yuan Shao and vowed to fight him to the death.

He even secretly contacted Zhang Yan, the leader of the Black Mountain Army entrenched in Jizhou, and others, inviting them to join him in attacking Yuan Shao from the north and the south.

This action completely angered Yuan Shao.

Originally, there was only one person left, Gongsun Zan from Yijing, and Yuan Shao was planning to let him go.

Just let him live out his retirement in Yi County without any worries.

At this time, Gongsun Zan really no longer intended to fight for the world.

He really plans to spend his retirement in Yi County.

The original words were, "I cannot rule the world, so it is better to stop fighting and focus on farming to save the country from disaster."

But you can just enjoy your retirement, but Gongsun Zan became like a possessed person and frantically sent people to harass Yuan Shao's northern counties.

This made Yuan Shao extremely angry.

The reason why Gongsun Zan did this was, on the one hand, because after Liu Yu committed suicide, his personality became more and more crazy, dark and extreme.

Another reason may be resentment and jealousy.

What many people don’t know is,

After the campaign against Dong Zhuo ended, the most powerful warlord in the north was not Yuan Shao at first, but Gongsun Zan.

The fourth year of Chuping was the peak of Gongsun Zan's career.

He was not only granted the title of General of the Four Directions, but also given the title of Marquis Yi.

He was also given the power to supervise the troops of You, Qing, Bing and Ji states.

At the same time, he also raised Tian Kai and Liu Bei as his younger brothers and expanded into Henan.

But I don’t know if Gongsun Zan is getting too arrogant.

He killed Liu Yu's entire family, showed no concern for the common people, promoted villains, remembered wrongs but forgot good deeds, and was vindictive.

This series of actions made Gongsun Zan lose the support of the people.

Liu Bei also took the opportunity to break away from Gongsun Zan and draw a clear line with him at this time.

It is said that Yuan Shu played a good hand of cards badly. In fact, it only took Gongsun Zan in the north a few years to destroy his family fortune and leave only Yi County.

Now he wants to fight to the death with Yuan Shao, perhaps because he is resentful of Yuan Shao for taking away something that should have belonged to him.

There was also a series of events such as tricking him into sending troops and getting Jizhou for free, which made Gongsun Zan feel unhappy.

"~Humph, Gongsun Zan, so arrogant and rude!"

"Pass my order. In the spring of next year, raise a large army and attack Yijing."

"I will personally lead an expedition against Gongsun Zan and destroy him."

Yuan Shao was very angry at Gongsun Zan's arrogant attitude and decided to personally lead an expedition to Yijing in the early spring of next year.

Many people are curious about why it took Yuan Shen so long to destroy Gongsun Zan despite his great power and status.

Because Gongsun Zan's family fortune was also very large, Yuan Shen's family fortune was acquired slowly.

Moreover, Gongsun Zan rose from the frontier.

As mentioned before, the most powerful legions in the late Han Dynasty were Youzhou and Bingzhou in the north, and Liangzhou in the west.

They have been fighting against foreign races for many years, and their combat power is not comparable to that of the inland legions.

Yuan Shao also suffered a great loss in his battle with Gongsun Zan.

Although Yuan Shao was defeated several times in frontal battles, fortunately his opponents were not human and he had offended too many people.

Yuan Shao easily won over allies such as the Xianbei, Wuhuan, Yan Rou, Liu Yu's former subordinates, local Han people, local scholars and nobles.

Just look at this list of allies.

You will admire Gongsun Zan for how he managed to offend all of the people mentioned above.

Therefore, Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shu are truly the Dragon and Phoenix of the North and South respectively.

No matter how capable Gongsun Zan is in fighting, he cannot defeat the allied forces with this configuration.

After being severely beaten by the Allied forces, they beheaded more than 20,000 people and retreated to Yijing.

Although only Yijing is left, it still attracts the attention of Yuan Shao and the Hebei camp.

There is no other reason, Gongsun Zan’s family is very wealthy.

Or it could be that he has been too unkind over the years and has extorted too much of the people's money.

In the city of Yijing alone, Gongsun Zan stockpiled a total of three million hu of grain.

Moreover, every family under his command built tall buildings, numbering to thousands.

Then, all of Gongsun Zan's cronies possessed "huge amounts of wealth".

Now you know how much money Gongsun Zan has made over the years.

"General, if we attack Gongsun Zan next year, and Cao and Liu take advantage of the situation to attack and capture Ye City, what should we do?"

Gongcao Xin Pi gave advice from the side.

Xin Pi was born into the Xin family of Yingchuan and was a scholar of the Yuanying Ruying school.

Yuan Shao said:
"I have a large army stationed in Hanoi and Liyang. Cao and Liu will not dare to come easily."

"Next year I will personally lead an expedition against Gongsun Zan, cut off his head and bring it to Henan."

"It makes Cao Cao and Liu Bei look at themselves in awe."

Xin Bi said:

"The general had previously tacitly allowed Liu Bei to take over Xuzhou in order to hold Cao Cao hostage."

"We don't want the two to unite, which will hinder Hebei."

Yuan Shao frowned, Xin Pi's words hit the nail on the head.

Previously, Yuan Tan had sent troops to Xuzhou without authorization, and he was severely criticized by him.

Later, Liu Bei recommended Yuan Tan as a talented person, and Yuan Shao was very grateful to Liu Bei.

He also praised him, "He is magnanimous, elegant, trustworthy, and now Xuzhou is happy to respect him, which is truly what we expect."

This was tantamount to tacitly approving Liu Bei to take over Xuzhou.

Yuan Shao's move was to let Liu Bei restrict the development of Cao Cao in the west. After all, this younger brother has been restless in recent years.

What's more, Yan and Xu states are adjacent to each other, and border frictions are inevitable, and the people of the two states also have old grudges.

Therefore, conflicts and even wars between the Cao and Liu families should be a foregone conclusion.

As long as the two families fight among themselves, Henan cannot be unified.

Yuan Shao would then be able to free up his hands and focus on governing Hebei.

After completing the affairs in Hebei, he would go south again and win over the weaker party between Cao and Liu to deal with the other party.

Such a great strategic concept actually failed.

This left Yuan Shao puzzled.

Because that's what Yuan Shao did in history, and he was successful in the end.

Cao Cao attacked Liu Bei, and Liu Bei surrendered to Yuan Shao, helping Yuan Shao to contain Cao Cao's eastern forces.

But this time, Yuan Shao failed.

Not only did a war not break out between Cao and Liu, but they united instead, turned hostility into friendship, and carried out many cooperation projects.

In the meantime, Yuan Shao also tried to alienate the two and induce the two families to fight each other.

It ended in failure.

Which link went wrong?

"There are great men in Henan..."

Yuan Shao clapped his hands and sighed, wondering who had facilitated the alliance between Cao and Liu and destroyed the situation he had painstakingly created.

Guo Tu said:
"This must be Li Ziyu's plan."

He had previously assisted Yuan Tan in Qingzhou and had witnessed Li Yi's strategies with his own eyes.

Perhaps only he could make Cao Cao and Liu Bei put aside their previous grievances and join forces to fight against Hebei.

"Li Ziyu?"

Yuan Shao frowned slightly, looked at Xu You in the crowd, and asked:

"When Ziyuan was on a diplomatic mission to Xuzhou, he must have met Li Yi."

"What do you think of this man?"

Xu You was suddenly called upon and asked about his opinion of Li Yi.

He thought to himself that he must not let it slip that he had received benefits from Li Yi.

So he gathered his thoughts, blinked his eyes and said:

"General, Li Ziyu is indeed a distinguished scholar."

"If we talk about the wisdom and strategies of the world, they should all be attributed to the Li family."

After listening to Xu You's evaluation of Li Yi, Yuan Shao stroked his beard and pondered.

He recalled some of the comments he had heard about Li Yi in recent years, and he no longer doubted his talent.

Then he turned to ask Xu You:
"With the reputation of our Yuan family, which has three dukes for four generations, and the promise of high office and generous salary, can you order Li Yi to come to Ye to serve as an official?"

Xu You shook his head and sighed:

"Li Ziyu's heart is as hard as stone, and nothing can shake him."

After a slight pause, he suddenly thought of something and added:
"But the great general is well-known, and his students and former officials are all over the world."

"If you really send some money to make friends with them, you might as well give it a try."

Yuan Shao thought to himself that Li Yi was a trusted official of Henan.

In any case, you should try to win them over.

In the end, whether he comes or not, it is always good to show him a favor first.

"...Good, you can order people to prepare a thousand pounds of gold and silver, a hundred pieces of brocade, and ten pearls."

"As for..."

As for the candidate for the envoy, Yuan Shao took a quick look and finally decided on Xu You.

"Since Ziyuan has a history with Li Ziyu, why not let you go to Xuzhou as an envoy and pay a secret visit to Li Yi?"

"Convey my thoughts to them."

Xu You was overjoyed when he heard this, and he bowed and said:
"Please rest assured, General, You will definitely fulfill your mission."

"After I meet Li Yi, I will definitely convey the general's good intentions."

Ok……

Yuan Shao nodded, stroked his beautiful beard, and added:

"When you secretly visit Li Yi this time, make sure he accepts these gifts."

"Tell him that he doesn't have to come to Yecheng to be an official, it will embarrass him."

"Shao just admires his talent and wants to make friends with him, that's all."

Xu You nodded immediately and left.

"...Then, if you all have nothing else to do, the war will be settled."

"All officers, return to your camps, gather your men and horses, and practice well."

"When next spring comes, we will send troops north to attack Gongsun Zan!"

Yuan Shao immediately decided on a strategy.

Xin Pi said quickly:
"Wait a minute, General!"

Yuan Shao paused and asked again, "What else does Gongcao Xin want to say?"

Xin Pi smiled and said:

"General, since Cao Cao and Liu Bei can form an alliance, we can also win over allies."

"It would be a good strategy to make friends with those far away and attack those near by to threaten Henan's rear wing."

Yuan Shao raised his eyebrows, "What does Xin Gongcao mean?"

Xin Pi curved his lips and said:
"Recently I heard that Liu Jingsheng accepted Zhang Xiu and stationed his troops in Nanyang."

"He rose from Liang Province with his bravery and military prowess, and was skilled in battle. He defeated Cao Cao at the Battle of Yushui."

"Moreover, Liu Jingsheng would never give up the one near him for the one far away, so he should also be won over."

"If we can combine the military strength of Zhang Xiu and use the money and food of Liu Biao, we will be able to suppress the alliance between Cao and Liu."

Xin Pi proposed the suggestion of making friends with distant countries and attacking nearby ones, and winning over Zhang Xiu and Liu Biao.

And for good reason.

Zhang Xiu had a grudge against Cao Cao and was threatened by Cao Cao, so he would definitely be willing to form an alliance with Hebei.

As for Liu Biao, he compared himself to King Xibo and had the ambition to dominate the world.

He had interfered in the affairs of Yizhou and Yangzhou successively, so it was impossible for him not to covet a fertile land like Yuzhou.

Zhang Xiu's fighting ability had been demonstrated before.

Liu Biao was stationed in Jingzhou and was rich in money and grain.

It can be said that he is rich and has connections, and is the best ally Yuan Shao can win over.

Xin Pi continued speaking.

"Why don't you send an envoy to Nanyang to recruit Zhang Xiu, and then go south to Xiangyang."

"Make friends with Liu Biao, prepare for an alliance, and agree to raise an army in the future to divide Henan together."

"If Cao and Liu are really destroyed by the general, then the fate of Henan will be decided by the general."

"It is not something that people like Liu Biao and Zhang Xiu can decide."

Hahaha……

Yuan Shao clapped his hands in delight. Xin Pi's plan of making friends with distant countries and attacking nearby ones perfectly suited the interests of Hebei.

To defeat magic with magic.

Since Cao and Liu formed an alliance to fight against Hebei, why couldn't Yuan Shao form an alliance with Liu Biao and divide Henan?

"Who can go to Jingzhou for me?"

Yuan Shao asked again about his origin.

Xin Pi volunteered:
"Since you are the one who offered me the talent to form an alliance, I will personally go to Jingzhou as an envoy."

Xin Pi was originally a scholar from Henan. If he were to go to Jingzhou, he could also go back to visit his hometown.

This was not a chore for him.

Yuan Shao readily agreed and immediately ordered Xin Pi to visit Jingzhou to express his intention to form an alliance.

By the way, he also pointed out the dangers of the alliance between Cao and Liu.

After all, Cao Cao’s capital Yingchuan is directly adjacent to Jingzhou.

Liu Jingsheng also didn't want Yuan Shao to lose the battle, allowing Cao and Liu to become more powerful and threaten his Jingzhou, right?

Everyone bowed down:
"I will obey the general's orders!"

……

Yangzhou, Yuzhang.

The governor of Yuzhang at that time was Hua Xin, a famous scholar in Pingyuan. As the previous governor of Yuzhang, Zhou Shu, passed away, Hua Xin took over his position.

During his tenure, he governed in a clean and honest manner and did not disturb the people. Officials in all counties supported him very much.

Nanchang, the capital of Yuzhang, was garrisoned by Liu Yao, the governor of Yangzhou.

Since he was defeated by Sun Ce, he has been recuperating in Nanchang.

On this day, Liu Yao suddenly felt unwell and realized that he did not have much time left, so he hurriedly summoned Hua Xin, the prefect of Yuzhang.

After receiving Liu Yao's order, Hua Xin hurried to Nanchang.

When he arrived at Liu Yao's sickbed, he was already terminally ill and his limbs were weak.

"...Zi Yu, I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Liu Yao said to Hua Xin with trembling hands.

Hua Xin hurried over, knelt down beside the sickbed, and asked with concern:
"What instructions do you have, my lord? I am willing to help you."

Liu Yao said:

"I know I don't have much time left, and I'm grateful for Ziyu's care during this period."

Liu Yao is now living under someone else's roof.

Although he was the governor of Yangzhou, it would be appropriate for him to stay anywhere in Yangzhou.

However, judging from the actual situation at the end of the Han Dynasty, the local governors were basically the local emperors.

Hua Xin had just taken over Yuzhang and his control over the counties was not very strong yet.

"I have been in Yangzhou for several years, but I have done little good to the people, leaving them with nothing but blood and flesh."

"If I die, I'm afraid Sun Ce will lead his troops to attack us."

"Yuzhang is poor and the people are weak. How to protect the people of Yuzhang? Ziyu should think carefully about it."

Hua Xin hurriedly said:

"Please be at ease, my lord. Xin will definitely protect the people of Yuzhang."

As they were talking, a man hurried into the mansion.

Everyone looked and found that it was Wang Lang, the former governor of Kuaiji.

After Wang Lang was defeated by Sun Ce, he had nowhere to go.

Sun Ce respected Wang Lang as his elder and wanted him to serve him.

But Wang Lang was unwilling to do so, and instead secretly went out to sea, hoping to escape to Jiaozhou.

But he was intercepted by Sun Ce, but Sun Ce did not punish Wang Lang for escaping.

He just questioned and reprimanded him verbally.

Wang Lang knew that he could not leave Yangzhou, so he had to stay here with peace of mind.

Having heard that the Governor of Yangzhou, Liu Yao, was seriously ill, he hurried to see him.

"...Jingxing is here too, please take a seat."

Before Liu Yao died, he was able to see his old friends and a long-lost smile appeared on his face.

Wang Lang stepped forward and exchanged greetings with Hua Xin first.

The two are old acquaintances and good friends.

"How is Jingxing these days?"

Because Liu Yao was seriously ill, he had been recuperating in bed and knew very little about what was happening in the outside world.

Wang Lang then told Liu Yao about his recent situation and said:

"Your Excellency may not know that Sun Bofu attacked Kuaiji at the beginning of the year."

"Lang's army was defeated and he had no choice but to surrender the city to Sun in order to protect the people."

"Now Kuaiji is owned by Sun Ce."

What……?
Liu Yao was shocked when he heard this. His throat ached and he coughed up phlegm.
"My grandson is so brave?"

"...cough cough cough!"

As Liu Yao spoke, he burst into violent coughing fits.

Hua Xin stepped forward and gently patted Liu Yao on the back. Liu Yao looked at Hua Xin and said to him:

"...We are all officials appointed by the imperial court, and we have been ordered by the emperor to come to Yangzhou to take up our posts."

"Sun Ce is only a general who destroys bandits, but he invaded our land without permission, which is tantamount to treason."

"...Ahem, Ziyu."

Liu Yao looked at Hua Xin, shook his hand, and said:

"Zi Yu should quickly submit a memorial to the court, detailing Sun Ce's crimes."

"Call upon all the princes of the world to rise up and fight against him, and Yangzhou can be saved."

Before Hua Xin could speak, Wang Lang sighed first and said:

"Your Excellency may not know that when I arrived, the imperial decree had already been issued."

"Sun Ce was appointed governor of Kuaiji, and Sun Ben was appointed magistrate of Chaisang."

"Now Sun Ce has received the imperial edict and is sending troops to Chaisang!"

what! ?

Sun Ce is coming towards me?

"Cough cough cough!!"

There was another violent coughing fit, and Liu Yao's eyes almost popped out.

If you want to attack Chaisang, you must first pass Nanchang.

Liu Yao is now lying in Nanchang, and Wang Lang, you told me that Sun Ce is about to arrive?

"…How, how could this happen? Has the court abandoned me?"

Liu Yao could hardly believe his ears.

Sun Ce received official recognition, but he became a rebel.

Is there any king law?Are there any laws?
Wang Lang sighed and said:
"Chaisang is the gateway to Jingzhou. The court promised it to Sun Ce in order to lure him to attack Liu Jingsheng of Jingzhou."

Upon hearing this, Hua Xin also added:
"I recently heard that Liu Xun of Lujiang has just surrendered to Liu Biao, and the Jingzhou army has entered Liyang."

"Liyang and Chaisang are separated by only a river. I'm afraid a war is imminent."

"We are all powerless..."

Hua Xin could not afford to offend either Liu Biao or Sun Ce.

Wow...

Liu Yao spat out a mouthful of black blood, which dripped onto the ground, and yelled hoarsely:
"Two outsiders are fighting on my territory, and I can't do anything about it."

"Where is justice and human heart!!!"

Hua Xin and Wang Lang looked at each other and shook their heads helplessly.

In troubled times, the strong prey on the weak.

Strength determines everything, and the right to speak is only in the hands of the strong.

Cao Cao and Liu Bei were powerful, so they could use the emperor to control the princes.

Make Sun Ce, the rebel, legitimate, and allow him to capture Jingzhou with justification.

Liu Biao and Sun Ce were powerful, so they could ignore me and fight for power in their own territories.

We are all just pawns of these princes...

They all claim to be light and represent justice.

In the end, it’s just a matter of each of them making their own appearance and seeing whose acting skills can wow the audience.

"...cough cough cough."

Liu Yao suddenly twitched all over and muttered:

"How hateful! How annoying! How infuriating... cough cough!"

After a violent coughing fit, Liu Yao's eyes turned black and he died at the age of 42.

"Envoy! Envoy!!"

Hua Xin was shocked and shouted, but no one responded.
Wang Lang wiped his tears and comforted Hua Xin:
"Liu Yangzhou has passed away due to illness. Ziyu should express his condolences."

"Lang is now homeless, but you, Ziyu, are responsible for guarding Yuzhang."

"We should stand up straight and accept the great responsibility of the lord."

Hua Xin agreed with tears.

Afterwards, the two of them worked together to arrange Liu Yao's funeral.

However, Liu Yao's death did not cause grief among the local people.

On the contrary, many people were secretly happy. If Liu Yao died, wouldn't the position of Yangzhou Governor be vacant?
Therefore, the local people jointly supported Hua Xin as the new governor of Yangzhou.

Hua Xin was terrified by this and quickly refused:

"How dare you do this without the Emperor's order?"

So he rejected everyone's kindness.

In the novel, Hua Xin was a treacherous minister who dared to threaten Emperor Xian with a knife.

However, Hua Xin in real history was an upright and noble gentleman.

He refused to take bribes and loved his people like his own children.

Chen Shou said that he was pure and virtuous.

Sun Ce praised his age, virtue and reputation, and people from far and near came to him.

Taishi Ci also said that he had high moral standards.

Even Chen Deng, who was always proud of his talent, said that in terms of their purity, courtesy and law-abidingness, he only admired Hua Xin and Hua Ziyu.

Hua Xin's good friend Wang Lang was not the mediocre and weak character portrayed in the novel. He was even directly scolded to death by Prime Minister Zhuge Liang.

In history, Wang Lang was not only talented in both civil and military affairs, but also kind and charitable.

Although he came from a prominent family, he was very sympathetic to the lower classes.

This is extremely rare.

People like Guan Erye sympathize with the lower classes because he himself comes from the lower class.

In his early years, he traveled around the world and met too many unethical scholars.

That is why he is proud of his superiors but does not humiliate his inferiors.

Although Wang Lang came from a wealthy family, he was sympathetic to the poor and often gave away his money and property to help those in need.

At the same time, although Wang Lang was kind and generous, he was very frugal with himself.

Even when he later served as Si Tu, a high-ranking official in the State of Wei, he still held himself and his family to strict standards.

Even when it came to such a big event as a wedding, Wang Lang refused to accept any congratulatory gifts sent by others.

This is generally the character of the person.

"…The people recommended Ziyu as the governor of Yangzhou. Why didn't Ziyu accept it?"

After the funeral, Wang Lang found Hua Xin and questioned him, asking him why he refused to take the position of Governor of Yangzhou.

Hua Xin put his hands behind his back and sighed:

"How dare you take charge of Yangzhou without the king's order?"

"Besides, Sun Ce has been summoned by the king to plunder Yang territory. It is the height of the storm, so I dare not give anyone a chance to criticize me."

Hua Xin had a very keen political sense.

There is unrest in Yangzhou now, and officials from all over the country are in panic.

Who dares to show up at this time?
He has no strength, so he dares to take charge of the post of Governor of Yangzhou.

Isn't this like an old man hanging himself - seeking death?

"So what are Ziyu's plans when Sun Ce's army approaches?"

Wang Lang asked a key question.

Now Sun Ce is no longer in the category of "rebellion". He has received the imperial edict and is coming to fight.

Hua Xin's ruling power over Yuzhang was not strong to begin with, and his subordinates lacked talented generals.

There is no way he could be Sun Ce's opponent.

"I……"

Hua Xin was about to speak when a servant came to report.

Yu Fan asked for a meeting.

"Zhong Xiang is here?"

Wang Lang raised his eyebrows. He was familiar with this name.

Yu Fan was his Gongcao, or secretary.

The two have also worked together for some years.

However, after Wang Lang was defeated by Sun Ce, Yu Fan defected to Sun Ce.

Sun Ce himself still respected Yu Fan very much and said that he was willing to treat him as a friend rather than a county official.

Yu Fan was moved by Sun Ce's sincerity, so he continued to serve as Gongcao.

This time, I came here on behalf of Sun Ce.

Wang Lang asked Hua Xin:

"Zhong Xiang must be lobbying for Sun Ce. Do you think we should meet him?"

Hua Xin is now the prefect of Yuzhang, and he is in charge of all affairs in the county.

Hua Xin pondered for a while, then said slowly:
"Since Yu Zhongxiang came here for Sun Ce, it seems he should meet him."

It seemed that these two words expressed his inner uncertainty, but he felt that he should still meet him.

Soon, the two of them met Yu Fan together.

"Zhongxiang, are you alright?"

Wang Lang stepped forward, held Yu Fan's hand, and wept as he spoke his heart out.

When Yu Fan saw his old master again, he burst into tears and cried:
"Since I left you, I've been missing you all the time."

Wang Lang never resented Yu Fan for defecting to Sun Ce.

Because Yu Fan absolutely devoted himself to him.

In the novel, Yu Fan played the clown in the debate with the scholars.

Zhuge Liang ridiculed him as
When he was under Wang Lang's command, he persuaded his lord to surrender to Sun Ce. Now he is persuading his lord to surrender to Cao Cao. It seems that his old illness has relapsed.

It left behind a classic scene.

But the real history is,

When Sun Ce came to attack Wang Lang, Yu Fan was still mourning for his father.

After hearing the news, she took off her mourning clothes and went to see Wang Lang.

He urged Wang Lang to avoid Sun Ce's attack, but Wang Lang did not listen and was eventually defeated by Sun Ce.

When Wang Lang fled to the sea, Yu Fan followed him and protected his safety.

At that time, the mayor of Houguan County in the east closed the door and refused to let Wang Lang pass. It was only after Yu Fan stepped forward to persuade him that he was allowed to pass.

So much so that Wang Lang felt a little embarrassed.

He advised Yu Fan, "You still have an old mother, so don't stay with me all the time and go home."

You know, in the Han Dynasty, an era that highly respected filial piety culture, it was very difficult for Yu Fan to achieve this.

In history, Yu Fan was naturally not a spineless surrenderist, nor did he persuade Sun Quan to surrender to Cao Cao.

On the contrary, Yu Fan was of straightforward character and often spoke out against the emperor's will.

Moreover, he was not in tune with the customs, which often made Sun Quan angry, and he was finally exiled.

"Why are you here, Zhongxiang? Are you here to pay your respects to Liu Yangzhou?"

Hua Xin asked the question even though he knew the answer, and said to Yu Fan.

Yu Fan nodded and said, "Of course I came to pay my respects to Liu Yangzhou."

So the two of them ordered Yu Fan to be invited into the mourning hall.

After the condolences, they went into the back hall to talk.

Only then did Yu Fan reveal the purpose of his visit.

"This time I came here, in addition to paying my respects to Liu Yangzhou."

"I am also following General Sun's orders to come and persuade Lord Hua to surrender."

Hua Xin had already guessed that Yu Fan would say this.

...Alas, what is meant to come will come.

"Zhongxiang, I guessed you would say that."

"Sun Bofu is good at using troops. I don't think I am his match."

"Let me think about this."

Hua Xin adopted the procrastination tactic commonly used in official circles and tried to get away with it.

Yu Fan was considered a veteran in officialdom. Having served as Gongcao for so many years, he could naturally handle this situation.

He then added:

"I have heard that the worthy governor and the former prince of this humble county are equally famous in the Central Plains and are respected by the whole country."

“Although I am in the east, I always look up to you.”

"It's just that although the prefect has good morals, he is ultimately a talent for planning."

"Without other rules, there is only the merit of self-defense."

"Now that General Sun's army is approaching, why not make a decision early to avoid getting into trouble."

Yu Fan's words are also standard routine.

First praise and then criticize, praising Hua Xin and then pointing out his shortcomings.

Comparing the strength of the two companies, I advise you to consider it carefully.

This is also a common template in the art of persuading surrender.

"I appreciate Zhongxiang's kindness."

"You can go to the inn and rest first. I will discuss this with Jing Xing."

Yu Fan then retreated and rested for a while at the posthouse.

After dismissing Yu Fan, Hua Xin urgently summoned Wang Lang to discuss countermeasures.