Tiger Guards

Chapter 365 Strategic Passivity
In Ye City, Yuan Shao took Yuan Shang on an inspection tour of the nearby fields.

On the banks of the Zhang River, Yuan Shao observed and recorded the water level using wooden stakes, his face beaming with smiles.

It has been hot since April this year, but it's not a dry, scorching heat; rather, it's a humid, muggy heat.

Rainfall in Hebei Province is much more abundant than at the same time last year, so much so that the people of Yecheng have begun to take the time to catch small green locusts.

Either dry it in the sun, knead it into a ball, and drink it with wine, or crush it, mix it with minced meat, spread it into meat patties, and fry it thoroughly with sesame oil before eating.

As a result, several farms in the suburbs planted a larger area of ​​sesame this year, and the price of sesame rose.

Although other animal fats can also be used to fry locusts, it is said that they are not as effective as sesame oil, which is rich in yang wood energy.

The most fundamental obstacle in people's minds when it comes to eating locusts is the name of the locust, not its appearance.

The Zhou emperor had a special meat sauce, a high-end and essential item that could only be used to entertain feudal lords.

This meat sauce is made by collecting the eggs of various insects, crushing them, and then pickling and fermenting them.

Whether educated or not, there is no longer any psychological barrier to the idea that eating locusts can strengthen muscles and bones.

Especially after news of the successful locust control efforts in Hedong and Taiyuan last year spread, Yuan Shao was even less inclined to stop people from consuming small green locusts.

If we're talking about opposition, it's against those types of Hedong pills that use small green locusts as ingredients.

These pills that have been passed down through the ages are so expensive that even Yuan Shao felt he couldn't afford them.

However, the Taoist community in Hebei has been almost completely eradicated, and there are no professionals capable of developing similar elixirs. Even if they were to produce them, it would be difficult to convince the public and gain market trust.

After Yuan Shao personally carved words on the wooden stakes used to measure the water level by boat, he returned to the shore and found that Ju Shou, Shen Pei, and Xun Chen had also arrived.

Yuan Shang helped Yuan Shao off the boat. Seeing the solemn expressions on everyone's faces, Yuan Shao asked, "Gentlemen, why is this?"

Registrar Geng Bao stepped forward and handed over a silk scroll: "My lord, an urgent report from Taiyuan."

Yuan Shao stared intently at Geng Bao, whose expression was unusually solemn.

Knowing it couldn't be good news, Yuan Shao adjusted his breathing; he couldn't imagine what other bad news could come from over there.

With the emperor in Nanyang, it's impossible for Zhao Ji to come to Shangdang with the empress's help.

He took the silk scroll, unfolded it, and slowly read it. Looking at the handwriting of Li Jue, Guo Si, and the slogan "Protect the Nation and Oppose Yuan," he felt dizzy and gritted his teeth, sneering, "You scoundrel, how dare you humiliate me like this!"

By criticizing Yuan Shu, wouldn't he be implicitly classifying him as being of the same kind as Yuan Shu?
Given what Yuan Shu had done, Yuan Shao was in a difficult position and could only pretend to be blind.

It's not good for you to denounce Yuan Shu, and it's absolutely impossible for you to embolden Yuan Shu. You can only pretend that this never happened.

Lu Bu has not made any major moves in Nanyang, but Zhao Ji is doing something else. He hastily pacified the Three Auxiliary Regions, but instead of thinking about resting and recuperating the officials and people, he wants to drive the fierce and ruthless troops from Guanzhong to kill people in Guandong. What is the difference between this and leading beasts to devour people?
Yuan Shao immediately saw through Zhao Ji's goal: to use this righteous war to purge and weaken the Guanzhong troops.

If he were in his shoes, he would have done the same!
He also wanted to test the attitude of the scholars in Hebei, but he dared not test them too easily.

I'm afraid of messing it up.

It wasn't that they were afraid the scholars of Hebei would rise up in rebellion, but rather that after Gongsun Zan reorganized his forces, he would seize the opportunity to mobilize the Han and Hu armed forces of Youzhou to plunder grain from Jizhou.

In Yuan Shao's eyes, the Han and Hu armed forces in Youzhou who rose up in the name of loyalty and righteousness were no different from bandits. These people would start a war as soon as they found a reasonable reason to mobilize the majority of the people.

Then they came to Jizhou excitedly, ostensibly to launch a campaign, but in reality, they came to plunder grain and other things.

After losing Ju Yi and the help of the Youzhou knights, Yuan Shao no longer possessed the strategic capability to annihilate Gongsun Zan's main force in a single battle.

If Gongsun Zan is given another reason to start a war this winter, he can gather all sorts of shady characters to wreak havoc on Ji Province.

No matter how wealthy Ji Province is, it cannot withstand the kind of drain and turmoil that Gongsun Zan has caused.

If the patience of the scholars in Ji Province runs out, the first to suffer retribution will be the Yuan family itself.

Especially with Yuan Shu's near-imperial ambitions... the scholars of Hebei had a legitimate excuse to overthrow the Yuan family.

With Zhao Ji to the west, Yuan Shao dared not test the attitude of the scholars in Hebei.

If he dares to test, Gongsun Zan can easily gather a large army to seize it, and the scholars of Hebei can also drive him away out of a sense of justice!

Therefore, the hatred he felt for Yuan Shu was beyond description, but Zhao Ji raised the banner of "protecting the country and punishing Yuan," which made Yuan Shao extremely frustrated.

They couldn't very well issue a proclamation denouncing Yuan Shikai.

If someone were to be the first to issue a proclamation denouncing Yuan Shu, they would at least appear to be a loyal and upright member of the Han dynasty.

But now Zhao Ji has quelled Li Jue and Guo Si at an incredible speed, and has gathered the fierce troops of Guanzhong to raise the banner of protecting the country and opposing Yuan Shikai, thus gaining the upper hand.

If Hebei were to issue another proclamation against Yuan Shikai at this time, even if Chen Lin wrote a brilliant piece, it would only invite ridicule and contempt from the people of the world.

Being laughed at is not important; being looked down upon would truly shake the foundation of Yuan's rule in Hebei.

No wonder the people around him looked serious. They were afraid that Yuan Shu would kick Liu Bei and punch Zhao Ji, and then take over the Central Plains in one fell swoop; they were also afraid that Zhao Ji and Lü Bu's allied forces would defeat Yuan Shu and then take advantage of the situation to advance into Hebei.

With Cao Cao acting as an outer shield, Hebei also had the strength to fight.

But then there was that damned Gongsun Zan right behind us. If Gongsun Zan seized the opportunity to send troops and cause trouble, the entire front would collapse! It seems that the problem was caused by Yuan Shu and Zhao Ji, but the real source of the disaster was still Gongsun Zan!

Without dealing with Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shao would lose the strategic initiative.

For some reason, Yuan Shao thought of the death of Prince Chen.

However, after Gongsun Zan built Yijing, he began to live a life of extreme luxury and extravagance.

Unlike King Chen, who was approachable and often personally comforted disaster victims, Gongsun Zan was far more likely to die on a woman's belly or from a hangover than from an assassin.

Yuan Shao handed the silk scroll back to Geng Bao and asked, "Yuan Shu is arrogant and reckless. What is your opinion on the changes in Xizhou?"

The balance is too difficult to maintain; whichever side wins, they both seem poised to sweep through Hebei.

It's impossible to persuade Yuan Shu to submit a memorial of apology now, so everyone on Yuan Shu's side has decided to take a gamble.

Despite Hebei being the most powerful province, the strategic situation was so passive that Yuan Shao was dissatisfied, and Ju Shou and others were even more dissatisfied.

If both sides cooperate closely and act as recklessly as Yuan Shu, they might be able to rally the powerful clans of Youzhou to defeat Gongsun Zan in one battle.

If they cede enough benefits, Xianyu Fu and his group, who are loyal to the court, can be temporarily confused.

In response to Yuan Shao's question, Shen Pei was the first to answer: "Now that the Zhao family has raised troops to protect the country and punish the traitors, why should Your Excellency have any doubts? I will send an envoy to Xizhou to clear up any misunderstandings with the Zhao family and enable them to focus all their efforts on punishing the traitors."

Xun Chen surprisingly chimed in in support: "Indeed, the greater good lies in Xizhou, and it is difficult to withstand their advance."

Seeing that the two sides were unusually aligned, Yuan Shao felt no joy, but was highly vigilant, stroking his beard as he pondered deeply.

What would happen if the allied forces of Zhao Ji and Lü Bu successfully defeated Yuan Shu?
After Yuan Shu's many men were defeated, they either fled to Jiaozhou or had no choice but to seek refuge in Hebei.

Clearly, traveling through Qingzhou and Cao Cao's route would be shorter to reach Hebei.

So many scholars from Ru and Ying who had rebelled came to Hebei, and many of them were related to Xun Chen and others, which naturally lowered the reputation and influence of Xun Chen and others in the eyes of the public.

But wouldn't the influx of so many scholars from other provinces, those with administrative and military experience, into Ji Province strengthen Xun Chen and others, freeing Yuan Shao from his dependence on local scholars?
After Xun Chen and Shen Pei spoke, they observed each other, both looking worried and preoccupied with official business.

Yuan Shao really didn't want to provoke and exacerbate the conflict between the local people and the migrants. He had limited official positions and resources, and people who came from afar couldn't possibly live a life of hardship.

However, objectively speaking, after these people were added to the military and administrative forces, the efficiency and quality of Hebei's military and political affairs improved in the short term, and there might really be a possibility of defeating and annihilating Gongsun Zan in one battle.

Those who followed Yuan Shu were definitely not soft-hearted people.

Therefore, strategic changes could potentially eliminate Gongsun Zan, or trigger an unprecedented internal rift, causing local scholars in Hebei to side with Gongsun Zan and use his power to eliminate or expel the Yuan clan and outsiders.

In short, the arrival of these refugees in Hebei after Yuan Shu's defeat and death would directly change the confrontation between Yan and Zhao.

They either devoured Gongsun Zan or were devoured by him; there was no possibility of continuing to endure their passive situation.

Compared to being devoured by Gongsun Zan, what the people of Hebei find most intolerable is their current passive situation.

Yuan Shao went to see Ju Shou, who replied, "My lord, the opportunity to break free from these shackles is right before our eyes, so why hesitate?"

The more hesitant one appears, the more one questions the loyalty of the people of Hebei.

Yuan Shao naturally understood and said regretfully, "Previously, because of my kinship with Yuan Shu, I almost neglected my public duty for personal reasons. Now that the Zhao family has raised righteous troops in Xizhou to punish the rebellious minister, I should naturally help and support them. I will send an envoy to Xizhou to remove the officials appointed in Shangdang and have the Zhao family send virtuous and capable people to take up their posts. In this way, we can show our loyalty to Hebei."

Ju Shou bowed deeply: "Your Excellency is wise and insightful; I imagine the Grand Marshal is not a narrow-minded person either."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao forced a smile, thinking that perhaps he could actually manage to get one or two of Yuan Xi and Gao Gan back from Zhao Ji.

The Zhao family had no real interest in Shangdang; otherwise, they wouldn't have given up so easily.

Therefore, in the recently concluded conflict in Shangdang, only Lü Bu and Zhang Yang suffered losses.

Immediately, Yuan Shao asked, "Who would be the most suitable person to serve as envoy?"

Ju Shou and his group came prepared, and Ru Yingren had a bad reputation due to the riots in Xudu, which might lead to some misunderstandings with Zhao Ji.

So Xun Chen looked thoughtful, while Shen Pei spoke first: "There is Zhao Yong and Zhao Yuanxiu of the Zhao state, who are shrewd, capable, and eloquent. They are of the same clan as Zhao and can be sent as envoys."

"If there is no one else, then recruit this person to serve in the staff and handle negotiations with the Western Regions."

Yuan Shao spoke up, and seeing that Xun Chen had no objections, he added, "Bring this man here later, and I will personally instruct him on how to handle the situation."

"Here."

Shen Pei understood Yuan Shao's predicament and could only refer to Zhao Yan and Zhao Ji as "Xizhou" and "Zhao family" to refer to them. He could not possibly address them as "Grand Marshal".

Addressing the other party as Grand Marshal was extremely difficult for Yuan Shao.

It wasn't just Yuan Shao; Yuan Shu experienced something similar.

Even if you are defeated, you must not back down or admit defeat verbally.

(End of this chapter)