Tiger Guards

Chapter 391 Joint Efforts to Combat the Rebellion

After Zhang Hong left Xudu, Yuan Shao's envoy Yang Lin also came to Xudu.

They brought Yuan Shao's petition to fight, as well as Yuan Shao's personal private letter.

Once the problems with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao are resolved, Zhao Ji will be able to formally wage war against Yuan Shu.

In his memorial to the throne, Yuan Shao, representing the Yuan clan, accused and denounced Yuan Shu for treason... He even stopped referring to Yuan Shu as Yuan Shu in official documents and instead called him "Rebellious Shu," effectively removing "Rebellious Shu" from the Yuan clan's genealogy.

Yuan Shao naturally wouldn't transfer troops from Hebei, but instead appointed Cao Cao, the General of Jiande, as his general to oversee the various armies in Yanzhou and assist Lü Bu and Zhao Ji in suppressing the rebels.

Meanwhile, Yuan Shao's private messages discussed matters concerning Youzhou.

He wanted to make a deal with Zhao Ji: a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Yuan Shao's forces from Shangdang, and the dispatch of Cao Cao to participate in the campaign against Yuan Shu, in exchange for Zhao Ji's tacit approval to attack Gongsun Zan.

Yuan Shao had no choice but to seek a ceasefire with Gongsun Zan, whose bottom line was Bohai.

We really can't give it to Bohai. In the early stages of the last campaign against Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao appointed Gongsun Fan, Gongsun Zan's cousin, as the governor of Bohai in order to appease Gongsun Zan.

Upon arriving at Bohai, Gongsun Fan immediately dispatched troops to cooperate with Gongsun Zan in launching a full-scale offensive.

Now that Gongsun Zan wants Bohai, how could Yuan Shao possibly fall for it?

Even if Gongsun Zan sincerely wanted Bohai as a bargaining chip for a ceasefire, Yuan Shao no longer dared to trust Gongsun Zan.

The foundation of mutual trust between the two sides has long been broken and is difficult to rebuild.

In fact, Gongsun Zan not only demanded Bohai, but also wanted to exchange sons as hostages with Yuan Shao.

With Yuan Xi and Gao Gan held captive by Zhao Ji, and Yuan Shang being the designated successor, it was even less likely that Yuan Tan would voluntarily go to Youzhou as a hostage.

If Yuan Tan is truly forced to become a hostage, Gongsun Zan might support his son-in-law Yuan Tan to seize Ji Province in the future, or incite a new round of rebellion between the two Yuans.

Yuan Shao had other sons, among whom Yuan Mai, who was slightly older, was favored by Yuan Shao and his wife, who were reluctant to send him away as a hostage.

Gongsun Zan disowned his other, younger sons, who lacked influence.

Gongsun Zan refused to give up Bohai or exchange his sons as hostages, so he naturally refused to stop the war.

Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, Yuan Shao decided to participate in the campaign against the rebellious Shu, sacrificing Shu in exchange for the opportunity to conquer Youzhou.

With the war at this point, even if Zhao Ji wanted to intervene or stop it, he lacked the experience and understanding of warfare.

At the very least, even if Zhao Ji returned to Taiyuan this winter, he would lack the resources to mobilize soldiers for battle again. Even if he intervened, it would be limited, an intervention based on the etiquette of an ally; Yuan Shao could simply send a detachment to feign an attempt to block him.

Therefore, the current ceasefire agreement between the two sides has nothing to do with sincerity, but is the inevitable result of weighing interests.

In addition to memorials and private letters, the desire to redeem Yuan Xi and Gao Gan was also expressed through the mouth of the envoy Yang Lin.

It was just a different way of saying it; they hoped that Yuan Xi and Gao Gan would be held hostage by Zhao Ji.

In other words, once this round of agreements ends, Zhao Ji should release both of them, or at least one of them.

Zhao Ji was considering the overall impact of Cao Cao's participation in the war. Cao Cao's forces were similar to Sun Ce's, having achieved a series of victories in sieges over the past few years. At the same time, they were renowned and had a strong deterrent effect on the officials and people of Yuzhou.

Cao Cao himself represented cruelty and brutality, which frightened most county and town officials, making them dare not actively assist the rebels.

At the same time, Cao Cao's participation in the war also symbolized Yuan Shao's participation, which was basically equivalent to a coalition of forces from all sides of the country to fight against the rebel.

This dealt a severe blow to the morale of the opposing side, and was almost irreparable.

In terms of long-term political impact, there is a potential alliance that the ruler of the land will unite to attack him, which is equivalent to fulfilling the oath of Emperor Gaozu at the White Horse.

Zhao Ji, however, was thinking about Jia Xu. If Jia Xu hadn't strongly advocated sending troops ahead of schedule, Sun Ce wouldn't have responded so quickly. Sun Ce's actions also indirectly influenced Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, indirectly contributing to Yuan Shao's decision.

For Yuan Shao, deciding whether to form a potential alliance with the rebellious Shu or to raise an army to denounce and conquer Shu was an extremely difficult decision.

As more and more forces joined the effort to protect the nation and oppose Yuan Shao, public opinion also began to grow within Hebei. The combined efforts from both inside and outside forced Yuan Shao to make a decision.

If he had stayed in Luoyang and waited for the summer heat to subside, he could have used his influence to grow stronger and potentially reunite the two Yuan brothers.

Therefore, although he had strategic vision, it was not far-sighted enough, unlike Jia Xu's sharp insight.

Those who are prescient and cheat can achieve this level of skill; as the advantage of being prescient diminishes, there will be continuous accumulation of experience... but the overall level will remain the same, and it will be difficult to make a qualitative leap.

Strategic vision is something that relies heavily on talent. I'm really just average; I only improved my lower limit and temporary upper limit thanks to foresight and groundbreaking education.

This temporary upper limit will decrease over time and will disappear in three to five years; one can only rely on learning and growth.

To make peace with Yuan Shao and join forces with Cao Cao to attack the rebellious Yuan Shu... we should at least respect Lü Bu's opinion.

However, the torrential rain in Nanyang will inevitably delay Lü Bu's deployment of troops, so even if Lü Bu is dissatisfied, he will not oppose it too much.

When Lü Bu arrives with his troops, let Lü Bu and Cao Cao fight if they want; I have no interest in mediating, I can just take sides. Zhao Ji decided to bear Lü Bu's dissatisfaction alone, so he said to Yang Lin: "I agree to the allied forces' campaign against the traitor Shu. But the General suffered many injustices when he was in Hebei, and the blood feud between the General's troops and Cao Jiande's men is something I cannot mediate. If the two sides clash in the future, I cannot stop them either."

Yang Lin immediately understood and pressed on, "What about the pledge between the two families?"

"What, General Right, do you want my brother to go to Hebei as a hostage?"

Zhao Ji retorted, his gaze unfriendly: "My second brother was in Chen when the rebel Shu caused chaos and was seriously injured. If it weren't for the officers and soldiers who fought to the death, he would have already perished in Chen. My eldest brother also has to take care of our parents; how could he go out as a hostage?"

"I dare not. What I am referring to is the matter of the Right General Zhongzi being held hostage. The Grand Marshal may issue a document to release him next summer?"

Yang Lin dared not sit down, and stood quietly to the side, waiting for Zhao Ji's judgment.

Zhao Ji turned to look at Zhao Jian: "Sir, please provide a written document so that he can reply to the Right General."

"Here."

Zhao Jian took another silk scroll, picked up a brush and began to write on it, but suddenly stopped writing and said, "Grand Marshal, I believe that Gao Yuancai should be released next year."

“That makes sense. Gao Yuancai joined our army first, so he should be released first.”

Zhao Ji glanced at Yang Lin and said, "My son and nephew are both here with me. If I release my son first, what will Gao Yuancai and the heroes of Hebei think? With the resources of Jinyang, there will be no shortage of food and clothing for the Right General's son."

Yang Lin also considered the personality differences between Gao Gan and Yuan Xi, as well as Yuan Shao's possible reaction, so he cupped his hands and said, "I will obey the Grand Marshal's command."

If this issue hadn't been raised before, it could have been handled vaguely, allowing him to evade responsibility.

Now Zhao Jian has stated directly that if he insists on rescuing Yuan Xi first, Yuan Shao will not treat him well when he returns; and given Gao Gan's personality, he will also retaliate against him after returning to Hebei.

It's not that high-ranking officials have particularly bad personalities, but rather that Yuan Xi has a gentler personality and is more able to endure grievances.

Thus, Zhao Jian wrote the silk scroll and handed it to Zhao Ji. Zhao Ji took out a six-sided seal and casually stamped it with the seals of Grand Marshal, Governor of Bingzhou, and Marquis of Pingyang.

Yang Lin found Zhao Ji's seal quite novel.

After carefully examining the silk document and confirming its accuracy, he put it into his sleeve and then asked, "Grand Marshal, I have heard that because of the rebellion, Grand Commandant Yang Wenxian has been implicated and imprisoned in Wandu?"

"Hebei's informants are so quick? When did you hear that?"

"In Xudu, everyone who knew him spoke highly of Yang Wenxian's loyalty and bravery, and they cried out for justice for him."

Yang Lin replied, "Yang Wenxian is a renowned scholar in the country. It is only right for an official to inquire about this matter; otherwise, it would be difficult to explain to the heroes of Hebei."

"Don't worry, the General will not harm Yang Wenxian. Right now, he is only investigating Yang Wenxian's suspicions. Once the suspicions are cleared, Lord Wenxian will still be a good minister of the Han Dynasty."

After Zhao Ji finished speaking, he turned to look at Zhao Jian and said, "Then send a document to the General to inquire about Yang Wenxian's matter. If there is no evidence, then end the matter as soon as possible, clear Wenxian's name, and restore his reputation."

In any case, Yang Biao will not be able to take on the position of Grand Commandant for the time being.

But the Yang family doesn't lack this Grand Commandant. Whether or not he becomes Grand Commandant, Yang Biao will still be the next head of the high-ranking officials.

As for the chief craftsman Yang Zhong, he had already been secretly executed by Lü Bu and died of illness.

As for Yang Qi, given the sudden change in climate in Nanyang, it was quite reasonable for the patriotic and elderly Yang Ziqi to fall ill and never recover.

He didn't send anyone to kill the sons and nephews of the Three Yangs, so the conflict was resolved within the court, and he even let Yang Biao go. Lü Bu had already shown great restraint.

Even if Cao Cao or Yuan Shao were in charge, they wouldn't dare to deal with the three Yangs together, let alone exterminate their entire clan.

The blood of the Yang family is too thick; they are firmly bound to the Han dynasty and the state, making them genuine pillars of the nation.

Directly destroying the Yang family would only benefit Ni Shu.

Driven by a sense of righteousness and revenge, Yang's former disciples and followers dared to join the rebels.

The kind of people who have connections and influence are dangerous; Zhao Ji could openly conspire with Zhang Hong to plan Sun Ce's future.

Even the enemy's protégés and former associates can openly plot how to betray and destroy them without worrying about betraying each other.

Under this seemingly dualistic monarchical system characteristic of the Han Dynasty, Zhao Ji enjoyed the benefits, but naturally had to bear the double-edged sword of harm.

The purpose of taking action is to curb the career paths of Yang's descendants and prevent them from using their positions to cultivate and expand their network of protégés and former subordinates.

If we prevent them from cultivating talented individuals for the country, who will care about the Yang family in twenty or thirty years?

If the Yang family wants to rise again, other families will naturally resort to underhanded tactics.

By gradually replacing the bricks of the pillars that the Yang family had built up, it no longer mattered whether or not they were cut down.

(End of this chapter)