Tiger Guards

Chapter 204: East County in Crisis

Xuzhou, Donghai County.

Chen Qun and his father Chen Ji fled here to avoid the chaos. Although Liu Bei was now the governor of Xuzhou recognized by the court, Chen Qun was no longer willing to be involved in the whirlpool of right and wrong.

At that time, Tao Qian recommended Liu Bei as the governor of Yuzhou. Liu Bei recruited Chen Qun as his chief clerk, and Chen Qun accepted the invitation.

Later, Liu Bei recommended Chen Qun as a filial and incorrupt official, and the court appointed Chen Qun as a county magistrate after receiving his recommendation.

During this period, Tao Qian died of illness. The people of Xuzhou wanted to welcome Liu Bei to take over Xuzhou, while Yuan Shu was eyeing Xuzhou covetously.

Chen Qun advised Liu Bei not to go to Xuzhou, but Liu Bei was in dire need of a place to use his military talents and did not listen to Chen Qun's advice.

When the court appointed him again, Chen Qun left Liu Bei and did not go to Zhe County to take up the post. Instead, he went to Donghai County with his father Chen Ji and cousin Chen Zhong to avoid the war.

Donghai County was the seat of Xuzhou during Tao Qian's lifetime. After Liu Bei took over, the main defensive pressure came from Cao Cao, so the seat was moved to Xia Pi.

Although Chen Qun was a disciple and former official of Liu Bei, he was also a man with a bad temper and was not optimistic about Liu Bei.

Therefore, he no longer served in the government. Even without Liu Bei's care, with Chen Ji's influence, they lived a relatively prosperous life in Donghai.

However, wave after wave of imperial envoys arrived in Xuzhou and Qingzhou, and Zheng Xuan of Beihai was also recruited.

At this time, Kong Rong, the governor of Qingzhou represented by Liu Bei, was trapped in an isolated city with hundreds of remaining soldiers and was surrounded by Yuan Tan, the governor of Qingzhou represented by Yuan Shao.

When the imperial court summoned Zheng Xuan to the court, Yuan Tan sent troops to escort him and also allowed Kong Rong's envoy to bid farewell to Zheng Xuan.

Given Zheng Xuan's advanced age, the road to the court was not easy.

Even so, after the prefecture arranged a bus, Zheng Xuan still resolutely set off.

The same conscription order also spread to Donghai. Although the imperial envoys had not yet arrived in Donghai, the conscription order was still copied and spread from county to county like a manifesto to Donghai.

Not only Chen Ji, but also Chen Qun was within the scope of the conscription.

Chen Ji naturally wanted to apply, but now he was worried about Chen Qun's safety.

Zhao Ji's notoriety had already spread here, and various rumors described in great detail the process of the persecution of Huan Dian, Ding Chong, and Zhong Yao.

A mere verbal conflict broke Huan Dian's legs. Zhong Yao was nearly shot to death for coming to stop the mutiny. He was also killed along with the high-ranking official's envoy and his nephew Guo Yuan.

But the fact that father and son applied for the military service together was a sign of the court's high regard for them and the greatest recognition of the Yingchuan Chen family.

If Chen Qun refused, it would be unacceptable.

The imperial court was in dire straits, and anyone who refused would surely suffer a great loss of reputation.

After careful consideration, Chen Qun said, "The three-province and six-department system proposed by Zhao is quite beneficial to the country. I believe that even if Zhao is cruel, he is not as bad as the rumors say. Besides, I have no foundation in the court, so how could I be like Yuan Chang?"

The Zhao family did not kill any of the ministers, but only dismissed Yang Qi.

When Chen Ji enters the court, he will definitely be appointed as a minister, and his safety will most likely be guaranteed.

As for Zhong Yao's murder, although Chen Qun was angry, he was just angry.

So many officials in the court have died, and one more is not important.

If we put ourselves in his shoes, if it weren't for the incident with Guo Yuan, Zhong Yao probably wouldn't have died.

Otherwise, when Zhao Ji tried to dissuade the Hedong soldiers from mutiny, he could have killed him on the spot. At that time, he would have been dead, and there would not have been too many ripples.

After all, Zhao didn't want to kill Zhong Yao at first.

Chen Qun speculated that it was when Guo Yuan represented high-ranking officials in the court that aroused Zhao's suspicion, which led to the decisive execution of Zhong Yao and Guo Yuan.

I am not afraid of the Zhao family killing people, but I am afraid of killing people indiscriminately without principles or purpose.

Just as Chen Qun and his son were discussing, the local county magistrate also came to ask.

If they were to apply for the job, the county would have to arrange a bus to escort Chen Qun and his son to the county, and finally the state would have to arrange a bus and guards to send the officials who applied to the court.

As long as there is a county government in each county along the way, it is responsible for providing food and living quarters.

But as long as it is not an uninhabited area, the people along the way are happy to entertain us.

No matter how poor you are, you will still have a place to stay and clean water.

Even if the imperial envoys and officials came to the court and encountered bandits passing through the border, they would usually plunder property but not kill them.

And the local bandits would not attack these people.

Various imperial edicts were like waves rippling back and forth in a pond, and ripples gathered in Xia Pi.

Liu Bei has also been very busy recently, trying to mediate the war between Yuan Tan and Kong Rong.

It seems that he appointed Kong Rong as the governor of Qingzhou, but it would be the same with or without him. Kong Rong was willing to accept it because he was giving face to Liu Bei.

When Liu Bei briefly served as the governor of Yuzhou, he recommended a group of filial and honest officials. For example, Chen Qun was a filial and honest official of Yingchuan, Yuan Huan was a filial and honest official of Chen State, and Yuan Tan was a filial and honest official of Runan.

Strictly speaking, before the empire was in chaos, Liu Bei had already been involved with Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shu while attending Lu Zhi's lectures in Luoyang. They engaged in cockfighting, dog fighting, car racing, and hunting in the mountains—all the things young people do.

Therefore, the relationship between Liu Bei and Yuan Tan was not just a simple one of sponsor and disciple and former official, but there was also a lot of personal favor between them.

If Cao Cao's eldest son Cao Ang had not yet had his coming-of-age ceremony, Liu Bei would have also selected him as a filial and incorrupt official at that time.

Now, various imperial edicts circulated by the court all indicate that a strong wave of interference will be launched against Guandong. The last time was the year before last, when Guo Gong, the governor of Yuzhou, and Liu Yao, the governor of Yangzhou, were appointed.

Further back, Jin Shang and others were appointed as the Governor of Yanzhou and Jizhou, but they were all driven away by Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.

The imperial court never gave up interfering with Guandong from the beginning to the end. It even planned several times with Tao Qian, attempting to join forces from the east and the west to penetrate the Central Plains.

This is also the reason why the Yuan-Cao group extremely hates Xuzhou. If Xuzhou is not completely defeated, the influence of the court is likely to revive with the support of the Xuzhou people.

It has been eight years since the heroes led the campaign against Dong Zhuo, and the warring factions are still going on.

This efficiency is far inferior to that of the late Qin Dynasty and the Xinmang Rebellion.

Contemporary people are tired of it. Initially, many people were just dissatisfied with the old order and wanted to exchange a few years of pain for a few generations of peace.

As a result, there was endless fighting and everyone lived in pain.

Therefore, more and more people yearn for the imperial court and hope that it will quickly restore the country.

If anyone participates in a war or uprising, their entire clan will be killed if they fail, and they will not even be able to cultivate the land in peace.

They also often have to go hungry and fight with other powerful clans.

The chaotic times lasted only eight years, and including the Yellow Turban Rebellion, it was only a dozen years; the backbones and elders of each family had experienced a peaceful time, so they naturally missed the past and hated the current situation.

The more people like this there are, once a torrent is formed, they will sweep away Yuan, Cao and others and kill them, nailing them to the infamy of history.

More and more people were involved, and many suffered huge losses, even their entire families were involved, but many people also benefited a lot.

Even if Cao Cao and Yuan Shao wanted to return power to the imperial court, it would be difficult to reverse the chaotic atmosphere of the troubled times.

For Liu Bei, at this moment he must firmly cling to the court's banner.

He urgently needed the support of the imperial court. As long as he could hold his position firmly and manage Xuzhou for two or three years, he would dare to fight Yuan Shu and Cao Cao together!

Therefore, Liu Bei responded immediately to the alliance of the Liu clans and sent Liu Yan of Lu, a disciple of Zheng Xuan, to the court. He also sent Sun Qian of Beihai, another disciple of Zheng Xuan, to Qingzhou to mediate the war.

In any case, Yuan Tan didn't dare to kill Kong Rong. Cao Cao's killing of Bian Rang caused such a big chaos. Even if Yuan Tan had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to kill Kong Rong.

Now that Liu Bei has stepped forward and given each other a way out, allowing Kong Rong to join the court, Yuan Tan will naturally allow Kong Rong to leave Qingzhou.

Lacking a reliable advisor, Liu Bei sent Jian Yong to meet with Lu Bu to discuss an alliance.

Before Lü Bu's envoy Qin Yilu arrived in Xia Pi, Liu Bei's envoy Jian Yong had already set off.

This is the power of the imperial court, which can remotely control and mobilize all parties to form an encirclement.

When the situation in Guandong was about to get turbulent, Chen Rong, a native of Zang Hongtong County and an envoy from Dongjun for help, traveled thousands of miles to deliver a letter to Zhao Yan.

Chen Rong, dressed in tattered clothes, knelt before Zhao Yan and pleaded tearfully, "Lord Yuanming, we rebelled last time to rid the world of tyranny. Now Yuan Shao is acting tyrannically and arbitrarily, first punishing those who are loyal and righteous. This shows that he has betrayed his original intention and will bring chaos to the world. I implore you, Lord Yuanming, to have mercy on the tens of thousands of men and women in the city and send troops to rescue them!"

Zhao Yan flipped through Zang Hong's handwritten letter and said with emotion, "Benevolence and righteousness are impermanent. Those who practice them are gentlemen, while those who violate them are villains. Zang Ziyuan is a great talent for Xuzhou and a role model for contemporary scholars. Please take a seat. I will report this to the court and send urgent troops to rescue him."

This is no longer about saving Zang Hong, but about saving the banner leader of the Guandong cause.

Out of fellow villager ties, Zhao must be rescued. Even if he cannot be rescued, it will attract many revengeful scholars to join him.

Zang Hong's father once served as the General of the Central Army to the Xiongnu and participated in the three-pronged attack on the Xianbei. In that battle, Qiangqu Chanyu led more than 10,000 volunteers to participate in the battle, but was defeated and returned seriously injured.

The fact that the Huns fought so hard shows the charisma of his father Zang Min.

Later, Zang Min was transferred to be the governor of Taiyuan County, and settled the border residents and garrison troops of the four Yunzhong counties who moved into the Great Wall in the north of the county.

Therefore, Zang Hong had to be rescued. On the one hand, this was to gain fame and recognition from scholars for Zhao Ji, and on the other hand, this military action was in line with the wishes of the Xiongnu and immigrants from the north of the county.

Moreover, for Taiyuan, Zhao Ji was too aggressive, and staying in Taiyuan would not be conducive to governance and comfort.

After Zhao Ji's intense exposure, Zhao Yan was able to stabilize Taiyuan immediately when he took over.

If I can't stay safe in Zhao Yan's hands, it will be even more difficult when Zhao Ji returns.

Contradictions cannot be completely eliminated, they can only be constantly transformed, and it is best to release them externally.

Rescuing Zang Hong is a matter of great significance to the scholars of the entire Xizhou.

For the imperial court, it was also an excellent entry point to intervene in Kanto.

Zhao Yan is a shrewd and calculating man. Even if he cannot compare with the new generation heroes such as Ju Shou and Cheng Yu, his thirty-five years of official career experience have already given him a deep understanding of the world and he knows what each party lacks.

(End of this chapter)