Tiger Guards

Chapter 630 Imperial Edict forged
In Ye City, troops from Ji Province gradually gathered.

Because Gongsun Zan was still alive, and Zhao Ji supported Zhang Yan in causing trouble from time to time, although Ji Province could mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops, the number of troops that could be deployed to the front line would never exceed 70,000.

This was because Sun Ce took the initiative to send troops from Qingzhou and did not leave any reserves in the Jinan area.

Otherwise, in order to prevent Sun Ce from launching a surprise attack from the southeast, Ji Province would have to leave at least 20,000 mobile troops in Pingyuan.

After the costs are distributed among various locations, Yuan Shao can currently only mobilize a maximum of 70,000 troops to participate in the war, of which more than 20,000 are former troops of Cao Cao.

Cao Cao's former troops who migrated to Hebei had almost no chance to stop and rest. The young and strong men were always in armor and could hardly reunite with their families.

Therefore, the morale of Cao Cao's old troops was unstable. However, if they were to fight against the armies of Lü Bu and Zhao Yun, the unstable old troops of Cao Cao would become a reliable force.

At this moment, Yuan Shao's biggest concern was Gongsun Zan.

Gongsun Zan's influence was not limited to the 20,000 to 30,000 men he could mobilize, but extended to the garrison troops in northern Ji Province, as well as the Wuhuan of the three commanderies, the Xianbei of Liaodong, and even Gongsun Du, the governor of Liaodong Commandery.

Gongsun Zan's presence there can tie down hundreds of thousands of troops!

Last year, due to the continued growth of the Lü-Zhao alliance and the increased power of Yuan Shu after annexing Chen, Yuan Shao naturally felt a strong sense of urgency and began writing to Gongsun Zan to seek a ceasefire and long-term peace between the two sides.

However, the hatred between the two sides ran too deep, and Gongsun Zan was also afraid that if he softened his stance and stopped attacking Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao would make great progress in other areas and turn back to attack Youzhou with a huge advantage.

Therefore, Gongsun Zan wisely rejected Yuan Shao's request for a ceasefire, even fearing that the Yuan family would become too powerful and purge his clan. Gongsun Zan then followed the trend and led the Han and Hu armed forces of Youzhou to join Zhao Ji.

While Yuan Shao's side was analyzing whether Gongsun Zan would switch sides, Gongsun Zan himself was also worried about this.

His change of stance at this moment directly affects whether hundreds of thousands of troops can participate in the war.

These hundreds of thousands of troops, after passing through Jizhou and arriving at the Central Plains battlefield, were enough to become a key force influencing the victory or defeat of the Eastern and Western armies.

If Lü Zhao were to suffer a defeat and Gongsun Zan chose to support the Western Army, then the hundreds of thousands of troops in the surrounding area would directly target the Gongsun clan, making it difficult for them to escape the fate of their city falling and their clan being wiped out.

However, if one obeys the imperial edict of the Emperor of Xudu and raises troops to defend the king and punish the two traitors Lü and Zhao, then this can be considered a just cause.

The moral priority of raising an army to serve the emperor was higher than his subordinate relationship with Zhao Ji. He could raise an army to join the emperor's camp in Xudu without bearing any moral responsibility.

Well... for Gongsun Zan, being dependent on the Zhao family was something he was somewhat unwilling to accept.

In his early years, he was appointed governor of four provinces, dominating Hebei and forcing Yuan Shao to keep his head down. His prestige at that time was not much weaker than Zhao Ji's today.

He had his moments of glory, and that's the key point.

The offer from the Emperor of Xudu also pleased him: Governor of Youzhou, General Who Guards the North, Imperial Envoy, Marquis of Yan, with a fief of ten thousand households.

The title of Marquis of Yan is very important. After obtaining this title, Gongsun Zan can then seek the higher-ranking title of Duke of Yan or King of Yan after conquering various parts of Youzhou.

Given the current strength of the two traitors, Lü and Zhao, and considering Gongsun Zan's current importance, the Xudu court will most likely make concessions to him.

The situation is so ridiculous that in order to prevent Zhao Ji from being rewarded with a noble title, they could force him to rebel.

In order to suppress and resist Zhao Ji's invasion, the Xudu court could also confer titles on other important marquises, and even kings and dukes.

Gongsun Zan hesitated and was in a dilemma, delaying his reception of the imperial envoy.

The imperial envoy who came to Yijing to deliver the imperial edict was Liu Song, the Grand Master of Ceremonies. Since Liu Song dared not return to the Central Plains again, he simply took on the mission of conveying a series of imperial edicts.

After all, he was the son of Grand Commandant Liu Kuan, and Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan could also be considered Liu Kuan's protégés.

No matter how the situation on the southern battlefield changed, Liu Song could still obtain a stable supply from Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan.

Since Gongsun Zan refused to expel the imperial envoy from Xudu and also refused to meet with Liu Song in private, Liu Song was in a dilemma, hesitating whether to take the initiative to visit Gongsun Zan in private.

Although this was an insult to his family's status and the dignity of an imperial envoy, it was the only way he could meet with Gongsun Zan and negotiate with him.

Just as Liu Song was hesitating, Chen Qun, who had joined the imperial envoy's team halfway through, suddenly came to see him: "My lord, the Marquis of Ji is hesitant not because he fears the Zhao family's tyranny, but because he has other demands."

Liu Song inherited his father's title of Marquis of Luxiang. In terms of age and prestige, he, along with Liu Biao and Liu Ai, were the best candidates for the position of head of the imperial clan.

However, Liu Biao refused to attend court, and Liu Ai was too humble to vie for the position of head of the imperial clan. Basically, whoever controlled the court and made whatever arrangements, Liu Ai would follow them, lacking any spirit of resistance. Liu Song was not as talented as his father, but he was still of average ability. Realizing that Chen Qun had grasped the crux of the matter, he asked, "How does Changwen know this?"

"If the Marquis of Ji feared the Zhao family's tyranny, why would he have sheltered the imperial envoy?"

Chen Qun spoke softly, and seeing Liu Song raise an eyebrow as if to ask a question, Chen Qun preemptively said, "Although the Marquis of Ji is a student of Grand Commandant Liu and shares a bond of friendship with you, Your Excellency, in a time concerning life and death, the rise and fall of your clan, how could the Marquis of Ji, with his decisiveness, possibly consider past relationships?"

"rational."

Liu Song felt relieved and looked at Chen Qun with a relieved expression: "What does Changwen think we should do to persuade the Marquis of Ji to raise an army to serve the king?"

Chen Qun shifted closer to Liu Song and whispered two words: "Forged imperial edict."

Upon hearing this, Liu Song frowned: "Is it possible to succeed? What if the Marquis of Ji finds out that we have deceived him?"

Chen Qun, looking very confident, still said in a low voice, "He doesn't care."

Liu Song frowned even more deeply: "If that's the case, how will Yuan Shao respond?"

It's impossible to fabricate an imperial edict and grant Gongsun Zan the meaningless title of Governor of Ji Province; the only option is to address the issue through a change in rank.

The last time the imperial envoy went to Youzhou, he was held hostage by Gongsun Zan, who forced him to forge an imperial edict, granting Gongsun Zan the authority of Marquis of Ji, governor of four provinces, and the power to act as an imperial envoy; he also forced the envoy to kill Liu Yu.

There is a record of the imperial envoy being coerced back then, but Gongsun Zan had the motive to kill Liu Yu, and the Chang'an court, the emperor, Li Jue and Guo Si behind the imperial envoy also had the motive.

After all, although Liu Yu refused Yuan Shao's offer to take the throne, getting involved in such a matter, regardless of whether he refused or not, meant he should be prepared to die.

In short, Liu Yu died, and Gongsun Zan was severely weakened as a result.

Now, if another imperial edict is forged... Liu Songzhen has nothing to fear, since he has made up his mind not to return to Xuchang.

He escaped from Lü Bu's clutches twice, not only because Lü Bu was too cautious, but also because of the profound legacy of his father, Grand Commandant Liu Kuan. Therefore, whether or not he was killed would not affect the crucial moment, and most people would choose not to kill Liu Song.

Lü Bu could feign ignorance and let Liu Song go twice, but the Xu Du court would never allow him to forge an imperial edict to confer the title of duke upon Gongsun Zan.

However, the current situation is very clear: only by giving Gongsun Zan the title of Duke of Yan or Duke of Ji can we entice him to raise an army.

Otherwise, with hundreds of thousands of troops in the Northeast hindering each other, they would miss this crucial decisive battle.

If we lose the final battle, everything will be over. What's the point of holding onto those empty titles of king or duke?
The trouble these excessively bestowed titles of nobility and dukedom may cause later; that's a matter for later.

Only after withstanding the rebellious offensive of the two traitors, Lü and Zhao, could the Xudu court have a future.

After Chen Qun made the suggestion, Liu Song decided to do it without hesitation.

He wouldn't dare to forge an imperial edict to confer a title, and it's likely that Gongsun Zan wouldn't dare to accept it either.

Zhao Ji doesn't even have a royal title. If Gongsun Zan accepts the royal title conferred by the court, there's a chance he'll face a direct and heavy blow from Zhao Ji!
At this moment, Liu Song, the Grand Master of Ceremonies and Marquis of Luxiang, was an imperial envoy. He had issued a false edict to incite Gongsun Zan to raise an army in order to save the country from disaster, and he did not think he had done anything wrong.

When the Xu Du court breaks the White Horse Oath and is forced to bestow the title of king or duke upon another official of a different surname, then the aftermath of Liu Song's forged edict today will be cleared up.

After thinking it through, Liu Song sighed, "This is all I can do for the country now. If the officials in the court had made a decision earlier and rewarded the Zhao family handsomely, we wouldn't have ended up in such a predicament."

Chen Qun remained silent. This was how it would be when he returned from beyond the Great Wall. He was powerless to change anything, and even returning directly to Xudu would hardly save his life.

Many in the court surely believed that it was Chen Qun's incompetence that led to the growing misunderstanding—he failed to appease the Zhao family or promptly convey their needs to the court.

If killing Chen Qun and granting Zhao Ji the title of Duke could end the war, given Chen Qun's understanding of the officials and nobles of the Xudu court, many people wouldn't mind trying to kill him.

Anyway, it doesn't matter if I fail after trying.

Compared to quelling this war that has affected the entire world, Chen Qun's personal life is truly insignificant.

This is probably what they mean by "dying in the right place".

Unfortunately, Chen Qun didn't want to die, so he followed Liu Song and wandered around Ji and You provinces.

(End of this chapter)