Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 435 Power Tempts the Heart, Brothers Turn Against Each Other

On July 27th, Yuan Shao died of illness in the early morning.

After Yuan Shao's death, Feng Ji and Chunyu Qiong immediately summoned Gao Gan to the main tent to discuss matters, told him the news of Yuan Shao's sudden death from a serious illness, and presented him with a revised edict stating that Yuan Shao had passed the throne to Yuan Shang.

Upon learning of Yuan Shao's death, Gao Gan wept bitterly and nearly fainted.

Yuan Shang appeased Gao Gan and, citing his will, appointed him General of Qi and Governor of Xu Province.

After receiving the imperial edict, Gao Gan returned to his post after being reassured by Yuan Shang.

Back at the military camp, Gao Gan recalled that Yuan Shao had met with him before his death and had intentionally or unintentionally revealed his intention to make Yuan Tan the crown prince, but now he had chosen Yuan Shang as the crown prince instead. However, after some thought, Gao Gan believed that Yuan Shao had always favored Yuan Shang and had changed his mind before his death, so he could only keep his suspicions to himself.

After gaining the loyalty of Gao Gan, Yuan Shang, under the guidance of Feng Ji and Chunyu Qiong, announced to the generals the news of Yuan Shao's death and that Yuan Shang would now ascend the throne in the army.

Yuan Shang, in his capacity as King of Qi, lavishly rewarded his generals and boosted morale, saying that Yuan Shu had already sent reinforcements to Yanzhou and that Zhang Yu would soon retreat. To keep the army's morale stable, Yuan Shang ordered his generals not to wear mourning clothes, to keep the news under wraps, and to maintain the army's original deployment.

Although many were worried about Yuan Shao's death, Yuan Shang's reassuring measures minimized the impact on the army, so much so that no internal changes were visible from the outside. In fact, because Zhang Yu was watching from the sidelines with predatory intent, Yuan's generals were even more united in serving Yuan Shang.

Soon, news of Yuan Shao's death reached Yuan Tan's army, filling him with grief and indignation.

Inside the tent, Yuan Tan demanded, "How could the King of Qi have suddenly died? How come I knew nothing of his serious illness?"

Upon seeing Yuan Tan glaring at him, the envoy Li Fu was startled and said, "The King of Qi has been ill and bedridden for a long time. I dare not reveal this to the outside world for fear of shaking the morale of the army."

"When King Qi was ill, the Third Prince served him at his side. There was absolutely no evil person plotting to harm King Qi!" the messenger hurriedly explained.

"Yuan Shang?"

Yuan Tan gritted his teeth and asked, "Since the King of Qi is seriously ill, why didn't he summon me to the main camp to receive his orders? Could it be that Yuan Shang is secretly obstructing me?"

Upon hearing this, Li Fu was greatly alarmed and secretly lamented his misfortune.

Yuan Shao favored Yuan Shang, a fact well-known to his officials and generals. However, out of consideration for the eldest son, many assumed Yuan Tan would succeed Yuan Shao. But these were mere speculations; Yuan Shao had indeed appointed Yuan Shang as his heir. Yet, judging from Yuan Tan's words, could it be that he suspects Yuan Shang of usurping his position?

To avoid getting embroiled in the conflict, Li Fu explained, "As an envoy, I am unaware of the details. I only know that Governor Gao supported the Third Prince's succession to the throne and was granted the titles of General of the Cavalry and Governor of Xuzhou."

Knowing he wouldn't get anything out of him, Yuan Tan waved for Li Fu to leave.

After Li Fu left, Yuan Tan, angered that Yuan Shao had not made him the crown prince, kicked over the table and paced angrily in the tent. He was both saddened by his father's death and furious that Yuan Shang had inherited the title of King of Qi.

Upon hearing the commotion inside the tent, Meng Dai, who had come from Linzi to escort supplies, immediately entered the tent.

"What happened?"

Seeing the mess inside the tent, Meng Dai asked, "Why is the young master so angry?"

Yuan Tan said angrily, "News has just come that my father has died of illness in the army, and now the one who will inherit the throne is that brat Yuan Shang!"

"what!"

Meng Dai's expression changed drastically, and he said, "When His Highness was alive, didn't he intend to make the young master the heir apparent? Why is Yuan Shang being made the heir apparent now!"

Yuan Tan said coldly, "I previously advised my father to issue an edict to establish Yuan Shang as my heir. The reason my father refused was probably not because he already had the intention of establishing Yuan Shang, but because he needed my assistance, hence his words!"

Meng Dai frowned and said, "Although Your Highness favors Yuan Shang, you are also aware of the current situation. Most of the people in Qingzhou are your subordinates, and now that Yuan Shang has been made crown prince, are you not afraid that your son will rebel?"

"Zhang Yu is eyeing Hebei with hostility, and the brothers are at odds. Wouldn't it be easy for Zhang Yu to defeat them?"

"How could we not inform you, young master, or write a letter to you about such an important matter?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tan calmed down slightly and asked, "Does the gentleman mean that there is a trap involved?"

Meng Dai stroked his beard and pondered, then said, "Feng Ji is the Protector of the Army, and Chunyu Qiong is the Commander-in-Chief. The two of them control all affairs of the Central Army. If the two of them have any evil intentions, what difficulty would it be for them to support Yuan Shang?"

Yuan Tan couldn't believe it and said, "These two men are my father's men, how dare they tamper with his will?"

"Why is it impossible?"

Meng Dai looked directly into Yuan Tan's eyes and said, "When Qin Shi Huang fell ill at Shaqiu, Li Si and Zhao Gao formed an alliance and then altered the imperial edict. Why can't the two of them follow suit?"

Although Yuan Tan was dissatisfied that the throne had been obtained by Yuan Shang, he did not have any intention of rebelling against his superiors. Moreover, with Zhang Yu in the north, Yuan Tan still had some sense of reason.

What proof do you have?

Meng Dai said calmly, "Young Master, you requested reinforcements from Yuan Shang on the grounds of insufficient troops and armor. If Yuan Shang grants you troops, then he is acting in the public interest and has no ulterior motives. If Yuan Shang dares not send troops to you, then he is acting with ulterior motives, and there are doubts about his succession." "If Yuan Shang sends troops to me, how can Gaotang, with its small number of soldiers, defend itself?" Yuan Tan asked.

Meng Dai said, "As far as I know, Yuan Shu appointed Ji Ling as general and led 30,000 troops north, and ordered Zhang Miao to launch a surprise attack on Jiyin. Now that Yanzhou has reinforcements, we may not have 4,000 or 5,000 troops, but we can mobilize 3,000 elite soldiers."

"good!"

Upon hearing Meng Dai's suggestion, Yuan Tan immediately had an idea and said, "Then I will follow your advice and send someone to ask Yuan Shang for help, so that he can send three thousand soldiers to me."

"Young master is wise!"

Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang were not far apart; a fast horse could travel there in a day and a night.

The next day, Yuan Shang received a military report from Yuan Tan and hurriedly instructed Feng Ji to discuss the matter with Chunyu Qiong.

"Besides writing a letter to mourn his father, Yuan Tan also requested aid from our army, asking for 3,000 troops to be transferred to him, as well as military supplies, so that he could relieve the siege of Bohai again," Yuan Shang said, handing the letter to the two men to read.

"This~"

Chunyu Qiong, feeling guilty, said suspiciously, "They didn't request troops before, but now that the late king has passed away, they've sent a letter requesting troops. I'm afraid their intentions are hard to fathom!"

Yuan Shang asked with concern, "Could it be that my brother already knows that Father intends to pass the throne to him, and therefore wants to strengthen the army in order to gradually plot against me?"

"It's not impossible!"

Feng Ji, speculating on Yuan Tan's thoughts, said, "There are only two possibilities for Yuan Tan's request for troops in this letter. First, as Yuan Tan said, because of the late king's death, people are suspicious of him, and he has mobilized three thousand troops to appease the people and to relieve the siege of Nanpi. Second, as you have concerns, my lord, Yuan Tan is resentful that the late king passed the throne to you, so he wants to gather troops to strengthen himself."

Seeing that Feng Ji's analysis was well-organized, Yuan Shang pondered and said, "With a formidable enemy at hand, it is not advisable to make enemies with my elder brother. However, to prevent my brother from building up his army, it would be better to allocate two thousand troops to appease him!"

Under Zhang Yu's pressure, Yuan Shang was willing to unite with Yuan Tan, and therefore did not want to turn against him.

“Qi only has 14,000 strong soldiers. Yuan Tan has 2,000 strong soldiers. If you give him another 2,000 strong soldiers, is it to help Yuan Tan attack you?” Feng Ji said.

Seeing that Feng Ji disagreed, Yuan Shang had no choice but to ask, "Then what is your opinion, sir?"

Feng Ji pondered for a moment and said, "Your Highness can send five hundred old and weak men to appease Yuan Tan and make him hold the Hejin River and try to contact Nanpi City. Now that Ji Ling is leading a large army, the siege of Yanzhou will be lifted soon. Zhang Yu is worried about the safety of Ye City and will lead his army to withdraw. At that time, you can lead your troops across the river to lift the siege and greatly enhance your prestige."

Yuan Shang nodded and said, "Since that's the case, then let's do as you say, sir. We'll say that Zhang Yu is powerful and is building a city on the south bank. He doesn't have many soldiers and only five hundred old and weak men to give to you, brother."

"promise!"

Feng Ji cupped his hands and said, "Yuan Tan was formerly the governor of Qingzhou, with subordinates spread throughout the various prefectures. Therefore, in my opinion, if Your Highness wishes to stabilize the Qi Kingdom, you must first appease the prefectures of Qingzhou to cut off Yuan Tan's wings."

Although Yuan Shang succeeded Yuan Shao, his foundation was weak, and he had no close confidants to follow him. Therefore, he had to listen to Feng Ji's orders in many matters. Moreover, Yuan Shang had no capable people, and if he did not rely on Feng Ji, he had no one else to rely on.

Under Feng Ji's handling of the situation, Yuan Tan only received five hundred old and weak soldiers, who were practically armed with spears and without armor. This made Yuan Tan even more dissatisfied with Yuan Shang.

Inside the main tent, Yuan Tan, filled with resentment, said, "Yuan Shang gave me five hundred old and weak men, ostensibly to help me, but in reality, as you said, he fears my strong and powerful forces."

Meng Dai said, "If Yuan Shang had no wicked intentions, why would he only give five hundred soldiers to the general's son? In my opinion, when the late king was on his deathbed, he should have wanted to appoint the prince as the crown prince. It was only because Feng Ji and Chunyu Qiong committed evil deeds that they deceived the late king and altered the late king's edict, thus allowing Yuan Shang to succeed to the throne."

"The reason why Feng Ji committed evil deeds was simply because he was angry with the young master and resented him. Now he is even more worried that after the young master succeeds to the throne, the young master will punish him. Therefore, he instigated Yuan Shang to seize the young master's position."

Yuan Tan slammed his fist on the table and said angrily, "Feng Ji is extravagant by nature and violates the law. If it weren't for my father's intervention, I would have eliminated him long ago!"

After a pause, Yuan Tan sighed and said, "Yuan Shang seized the throne, and Feng Ji monopolized power. What can I do now?"

Meng Dai said, "Why don't you contact Gao Gan and join forces to resist Yuan Shang's army? You should also submit a memorial to Yuan Shu requesting that he be enfeoffed as the King of Qi."

Yuan Tan said with dissatisfaction, "Do you intend to lead me into an unjust situation?"

“Zhang Yu is eyeing us covetously. Now that I have raised an army to attack Yuan Shang, regardless of the size of our forces, Zhang Yu will benefit from it all. If Father knew that I was fighting Yuan Shang, I fear he would not rest in peace, worried that the foundation of Qi would be lost and that Zhang Yu would take it over,” Yuan Tan said.

Meng Dai sighed and said, "If Yuan Shang had the magnanimity of a young master, how could he have seized the throne from you, suspected you, and refused to give you troops!"

“Now that Yuan Shang has seized the throne, and my troops are few, I wonder if you have any feasible strategies?” Yuan Tan asked.

Meng Dai pondered for a moment and said, "If you, my lord, are determined to seize the throne and have no intention of letting Zhang Yu benefit, then in my opinion, you should first unite with Yuan Shang to defend against the enemy. When Zhang Yu's troops retreat, you can find an opportunity to defeat Yuan Shang and then reclaim the throne."

As he spoke, Meng Dai added, "But you must first make contact with the Qingzhou tribes, as most of the Qi kingdom's territory is now in Qingzhou. If Qingzhou can submit to you, Yuan Shang will surely be defeated!"

Yuan Tan said dejectedly, "Let's follow your advice, sir. We should work together with Yuan Shang to resist Zhang Yu while also contacting the various counties of Qingzhou. After Zhang Yu withdraws his troops, I will gather the troops of Qingzhou and force Yuan Shang to relinquish the throne."

(End of this chapter)