Double penetration: This Three Kingdoms has dragon energy

Chapter 148 Shocking: Wang Shi, Zheng Xuan, and Yuan Shao
After dealing with the Plain Hua clan, there's only one last thing left.

That is, the question of who should be assigned to guard Pingyuan County.

Pingyuan County is different from the other counties that Ji Qiu had previously captured.

This is the northern gateway to Qingzhou.

It connects to Yuan Shao's Bohai Commandery to the north and to Cao Cao's Dong Commandery to the west.

In the future, when Yuan Shao occupies Ji Province and Gongsun Zan gains an advantage by moving south, it is very likely that Gongsun Zan will still have to border the province.

At the same time, it involves dealing with three major warlords, making the situation here extremely complex.

Only a great general can guard this place.

This was also the reason why Ji Qiu had previously intended for Liu Bei to occupy Pingyuan County.

However, times have changed. Liu Bei has already been assigned to Jibei Commandery, so Pingyuan Commandery will have to be assigned to someone else.

Fortunately, it wasn't too difficult.

Ji Qiu had quite a few capable generals who could stand alone under his command.

After much deliberation, he finally decided to appoint Wei Yan to guard Pingyuan County.

Wei Yan was one of the earliest retainers under Ji Qiu's command, and his Wei Wu Camp was the earliest established unit under Ji Qiu's command.

Wei Yan and Wei Wuying participated in almost all the battles in the late autumn and made many contributions.

Whether considering ability, seniority, or merit.

He is the only choice for the position of Prefect of Pingyuan!
Therefore, in the autumn of the year, an order was issued to appoint Wei Yan as the governor of Pingyuan, and to lead his 20,000-strong Wei Wu Camp to garrison Pingyuan County!
With the appointments issued, the matter in Pingyuan County was essentially resolved.

Ji Qiu opened the time portal and returned to Taishan County.

The news that he had taken over Beihai Kingdom and Pingyuan County within three days gradually reached the ears of those who were interested, causing a great deal of reaction.

……

Donglai County, Wang Family Wubao.

Wang Weng entered the head of the family's study and found his elder brother, Wang Bao, who was also the head of the Wang family.

"Brother, I just received news that Beihai Kingdom and Pingyuan County have been completely captured by Lord Ji."

Just like when Governor Ji sent troops to Qi Commandery and Le'an Commandery last time, this time Governor Ji's advance was swift and devastating.

Neither the Northern Sea Kingdom nor the Plain County could retaliate.

Ji Shijun conquered the entire country and county in just three days.

"The strength of their army is truly unprecedented in the world!" Wang Weng reported.

Wang Bao's expression changed drastically, and he said incredulously, "They actually took over the Beihai Kingdom and Pingyuan County in just three days."
How can it be so fast? !
Weren't Kong Rong and Hua Xin both renowned scholars?

How could you be so useless!

They each command tens of thousands of elite troops; even if it were tens of thousands of pigs, Ji Qiu couldn't possibly slaughter them all in three days!

"Brother, now that things have come to this, there's no point in discussing this anymore."

Now, four of the six prefectures of Qingzhou have fallen into the hands of Governor Ji, and it is a foregone conclusion that Governor Ji will become the ruler of Qingzhou.

For the sake of our family's survival, we should contact Lord Ji as soon as possible and offer up Donglai County.

In this way, one can also receive preferential treatment.

I heard that Magistrate Ji was quite easy to talk to this time.

Kong Rong surrendered only after losing 50,000 troops in the Northern Army, but even so, Governor Ji still granted the Kong family the treatment of a fifth-class household.

While this includes the preferential treatment given to the Confucius family as descendants of the sage, it also reveals the change in Ji Shijun's attitude towards powerful clans.

"If we can surrender without a fight and leave Donglai County first, we will definitely be better than the Kong family. At the very least, we will be a fifth-class household, and maybe even a sixth-class household!" said Wang Weng.

Wang Bao smiled bitterly and said, "So what if we're fifth-class households? So what if we're sixth-class households?"

We'll all lose our families and land, and the wealth accumulated by our families over hundreds of years. From now on, we'll be at their mercy!

Second brother, it's not that I'm unwilling to serve under Magistrate Ji, it's just that he's too harsh on the powerful families under his rule.

As the elder brother and head of the Wang family, I am responsible to the spirits of our ancestors and to the thousands of members of the Wang clan.

I really dare not make such a hasty decision!

As for the Wang family, back when Ji Qiu first sent troops to Qingzhou and occupied Qi County and Le'an County, they actually had the idea of ​​watching the situation and immediately joining Ji Qiu's service as long as he could conquer Beihai Kingdom.

To this end, they even specially sent an envoy with generous gifts to visit Ji Qiu in advance to establish a good relationship.

However, as time went on and they learned more about Ji Qiu's forces, they gradually came to understand them better.

These initial thoughts, however, have begun to change without us even realizing it.

In their initial thinking, joining forces with Ji Qiu wouldn't actually harm their interests too much.

It was nothing more than nominally recognizing Ji Qiu as their master and providing him with a certain amount of money and provisions.

At most, it would simply be a matter of handing over the administration of the twelve county towns of Donglai County to Ji Qiu.

This is already the limit. Even during the most powerful period of the Han Dynasty, this was the only step they could take.

Ji Qiu was merely a warlord in a chaotic era; how could he possibly have achieved the level of control over his subjects during the peak of a unified dynasty?

But they soon discovered that the governance model of the Jiqiu forces was completely different from that of other feudal lords and even the Han Dynasty.

It's unclear where Ji Qiu got such wealth; he managed to relocate nearly a million people from Qi County and Le'an County to Taishan County.

This move completely disrupted the extensive networks of connections that the powerful families in these two counties had built up over hundreds of years, leaving them with no way to resist the government's administration.

He also demanded that all people under his rule be freed from slavery and become free citizens.

All the land belongs to the governor's office!
The implementation of these three policies can be said to have completely brought the aristocratic families down to earth.

Currently, there are no more powerful families outside the city in Ji Qiu's forces, and even within the city, there are very few powerful families.

On the contrary, the number of people from poor families has begun to increase significantly.

Not only those once powerful and influential families, but almost everyone who is still alive has fallen into poverty.

A large number of ordinary people have begun to rise from poverty to a lower social class.

These scenes sent chills down Wang's spine.

Because they knew that if they surrendered to Ji Qiu, they would probably suffer the same fate.

They absolutely could not bear to become either from a poor family or a prominent family in the city.

No one is willing to give up a right they have already obtained unless their life is threatened!
Therefore, Wang's idea of ​​seeking refuge with Ji Qiu began to change.

From initially being proactive, they became passive, or even resistant.

Old Man Wang sighed softly and said, "Brother, I understand what you mean, but do you really think that the Wang family is not now at the mercy of others, and we are the fish on the chopping block?"
Is Lord Ji a good person?

Do you think that if we don't pledge allegiance to Lord Ji, he will let us go?

Do you still think we can withstand his army?

We are not from the Confucius family, nor are we descendants of the sage, much less a great Confucian scholar like Kong Rong who possessed the true blood of our ancestors.

Therefore, we do not have the capital to still receive preferential treatment after all our capital has been lost.

If we seek refuge with Magistrate Ji now, although we cannot keep our people and land, at least we can receive preferential treatment.

It can also leave some capital for future generations to turn their lives around.

If we wait until we're at our wits' end to seek refuge there, even saving our lives will be difficult.

"What you say makes sense, but I believe that our Wang family has not yet reached the end of its rope."

While Ji Qiu's power had indeed been established in Qingzhou, it was only within the territory of Qingzhou.

However, outside of Qingzhou, there are many powerful warlords eyeing the region covetously.

Yuan Shao of Ji Province, Cao Cao of Yan Province, Yuan Shu of Yu Province, and Tao Qian of Xu Province would not stand idly by and watch Ji Qiu grow stronger.

"If we can contact them, then we might have a fighting chance!" Wang Bao said quietly.

But Wang Weng's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and he said, "Brother, think it over! If we continue to sit and observe the situation, and only pledge allegiance to Lord Ji after the situation becomes clearer, then at most we will only receive a lower treatment."

But if we were to contact these feudal lords from other states and conspire against Lord Ji, and fail, our Wang clan would truly be plunged into an abyss of no return!

How did Lord Ji deal with the three powerful families of Taishan Commandery? And how did he deal with the Tian and Sun families after conquering Qi and Le'an Commanderies? We should take heed of these lessons!

"Well, don't worry, I won't contact them. But I think that even without my contact, these feudal lords will still not reply and let Ji Qiu go."

So I want to see how things go. I really don't want the efforts of our ancestors over the past few hundred years to turn to ashes until the very last moment!" Wang Bao took a deep breath, remained silent for a long time, and then said.

Wang Weng remained silent for a long time before sighing, "If this is my elder brother's final decision, then I have no choice but to support him."

We are one family; we share both prosperity and adversity, and we are inseparable no matter what.

...In Jinan Prefecture, at Moshan Academy.

Cui Yan bowed to Zheng Xuan and asked, "Teacher, do you know that Ji Qiu has already taken over the Beihai Kingdom and Pingyuan County?"

"This matter is very close at hand. Even though I am here in the academy, I have heard about it."

"Lord Ji conquered a country and a prefecture in three days. His martial prowess is unparalleled in the world!" Zheng Xuan said with a light laugh.

Cui Yan asked, "Then I wonder, what is your opinion on this matter, teacher?"

"What do you think, Ji Gui, your teacher should think?" Zheng Xuan asked.

Cui Yan immediately gritted his teeth and said with hatred: "Ji Qiu is a man of humble origins, of low character, disrespectful to scholars, cruel and tyrannical. He is truly a great thief!"
I have heard that this person has acted perversely in the three prefectures under his rule, resulting in the extinction of the local aristocratic families. More than 10,000 members of these families have been directly killed!
Such villains are abhorrent to both heaven and man. Their words and deeds are too numerous to recount. Heroes of the world should join forces to punish them!
Now he has inexplicably started a war and occupied the Beihai Kingdom and Pingyuan County. I wonder what kind of persecution the powerful families in these two counties will suffer!
The teacher was a renowned scholar of the time, whose fame was known far and wide, and was also the head of the Zheng family in Jinan.

That Ji Qiu is ambitious, and his military might will not stop at Beihai Kingdom and Pingyuan County. Next, he will probably come to attack Jinan County.

For the teacher, this matter was both a matter of great principle and involved his clan.

The teacher should organize the Zheng family's resources and make preparations as soon as possible.

The best course of action is to seek aid from the clans of Ji and Yan provinces, and have them send troops to jointly attack Ji Qiu and rid the country of this traitor!

Cui Yan was a direct descendant of the Qinghe Cui clan, a prestigious family outside the city.

From head to toe, they are truly sitting at the table of the powerful and influential families.

Although he and Ji Qiu were not mortal enemies, they were already irreconcilable foes.

Nine months earlier, when Ji Qiu first led his troops to Qingzhou and occupied Qi County and Le'an County, he had advised Zheng Xuan to try to use Zheng Xuan's prestige to organize troops to resist Ji Qiu.

Unfortunately, Zheng Xuan completely ignored him, leaving him helpless.

Now, nine months have passed, and he has witnessed firsthand what Ji Qiu has done in Qi County and Le'an County, and he has also seen Ji Qiu once again send troops to occupy Beihai Kingdom and Pingyuan County.

Believing the time was ripe, he hurried over and once again urged Zheng Xuan to step forward and organize troops to resist Ji Qiu.

In his view, it was already a bit too late to organize troops to resist Ji Qiu.

Because Ji Qiu had already occupied four of the six counties in Qingzhou.

Furthermore, they have completely taken control of Qi Commandery and Le'an Commandery.

At the same time, Jinan County was in a very bad position, surrounded by four counties: Taishan, Qi, Le'an, and Pingyuan. Moreover, the terrain was flat and there was no way to defend it.

At this point, even with Zheng Xuan's support, the chances of successfully resisting Ji Qiu with the strength of Jinan Prefecture alone were extremely slim.

But it doesn’t matter.

In Cui Yan's view, the world belonged to the aristocratic families, and the aristocratic families belonged to the world.

Ji Qiu dared to endanger a noble family; he is an enemy of the world.

An enemy of the world should be killed by everyone in the world!
And in order to eliminate this formidable enemy, it is entirely worthwhile to make some sacrifices.

Zheng Xuan always taught them that they should have the determination to sacrifice themselves for the cause and to give up their lives for righteousness.

The purpose of eliminating Ji Qiu is to save all living beings, to uphold righteousness, and to prove the Way.

Even if I were to die for this, what would be a pity? This is a great joy!

Of course, Zheng Xuan could say that he could not die.

After all, it was Zheng Xuan who wanted to prove the Dao, not him.

He wasn't even from a prominent family in Jinan Prefecture, and had no real connection to this matter, so why would he needlessly throw away his life for it?

As the saying goes, a wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall. This place is already dangerous, so it seems he needs to find an excuse to leave Moshan Academy as soon as possible and return to Qinghe County in Jizhou.

Cui Yan's plan was well-thought-out, but it was ultimately just his plan.

Zheng Xuan clearly had no intention of cooperating with his plan.

He merely glanced at Cui Yan, his aged eyes containing a sharpness that seemed to see right through people's hearts.

He then said calmly, "Moshan Academy is just a place for studying, and I am just a teacher."

We can't hear the storms outside from here, nor do we have the power to influence them.

You have been studying with me for several years now, and you have accomplished your studies. I have nothing more to teach you.

"You should go down the mountain and go home now!"

"What? Master, why do you say that! What mistake have I made that you would send me down the mountain?"

"Perhaps my words were a bit harsh just now, but I had no selfish motives whatsoever. Everything I did was for my teacher, and for the sake of all living beings!" Cui Yan's expression changed drastically, and he quickly defended himself.

Although he was thinking of finding an excuse to leave Moshan Academy soon.

But it was his own choice to leave!

Is it the same thing for him to leave on his own, or for Zheng Xuan to let him go?
If outsiders knew, they would think that Zheng Xuan was dissatisfied with him and had kicked him out of Moshan Academy!

If that were truly the case, he would suffer a great loss, if not complete ruin of his reputation.

All those years of hard work studying and cultivating my reputation at Moshan Academy, haven't they all been for nothing?!
But Zheng Xuan was clearly determined and gave him no chance to stay at Moshan Academy. He waved his hand dismissively and said, "Let's go, I'm tired."

"Uh, yes, then this disciple will take his leave. Please take care of yourself and get some rest, Master!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Yan knew that Zheng Xuan's mind was made up and there would be no change of heart. His face turned ashen, and he turned and walked away with faltering steps.

As Zheng Xuan watched Cui Yan's departing figure, a faint mocking smile appeared on his face. He thought to himself, "Noble families? Nothing more than lackeys of the Heavenly Court! The great upheaval has arrived. Let's see how long you can remain arrogant!"

……

Bohai County, Taishou Mansion.

"What did you say?
Has Ji Qiu already captured Pingyuan County?

He also appointed Wei Yan as the governor of Pingyuan, and stationed him in Pingyuan County with 20,000 Wei Wu troops.

From sending troops to Beihai Kingdom to capturing Pingyuan County, it only took him three days in total.
The Hua clan of Pingyuan surrendered to Liu Bei, and Liu Bei was then escorted out of the country by Ji Qiuli to Jibei Commandery.
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Is he a deity?
How did they accomplish so much in such a short time?
"Are you lying to me? This is all fake, isn't it!" Yuan Shao roared, his face full of disbelief.

Just ten days ago, he was still in high spirits, reorganizing his troops and preparing to send troops to Pingyuan County to occupy it.

But just ten days later, before his troops had even been assembled, he was told that Ji Qiu had already taken control of Pingyuan County.

how can that be!

Xu You smiled wryly and said, "How could I dare to deceive you, my lord? These are all messages that I have repeatedly confirmed, and they are absolutely true!"
Meanwhile, his subordinates analyzed that Ji Qiu was absolutely capable of accomplishing this.

"Oh? Then I'd like to hear your analysis!" Yuan Shao said in a deep voice.

Xu You said, "First of all, Ji Qiu has the ability to transport troops regardless of distance!"
Because he possessed the ability to transport troops regardless of distance, neither the North Sea Kingdom nor the Plain County could contend with him.

It was only natural that they were wiped out in one fell swoop within three days.

"Wait a minute, the ability to transport troops regardless of distance? How could he possess such an ability? What kind of secret technique is this? I've never heard of it before!" Yuan Shao asked in confusion.

Xu You said, "This is not the effect of a single secret technique, but the effect of a combination of two secret techniques."

My lord, have you forgotten that Ji Qiu possesses the Qiankun Bag?

The Qiankun Bag possesses the ability to evolve an internal world and accommodate troops.

Meanwhile, his subordinates have always suspected that Ji Qiu has awakened a primordial secret technique that allows him to teleport hundreds of miles in an instant.

If that's truly the case, then combining this innate secret technique with the Qiankun Bag would allow for the deployment of troops regardless of distance!

"Wow, you can actually do that?!"

Yuan Shao gasped, then angrily cursed.

"Yuan Shu is truly a useless piece of trash! If he weren't so useless, how could such a treasure as the Qiankun Bag have fallen into Ji Qiu's hands!"

It was Yuan Shu who recommended Yuan Huan to Yuan Po, and then Yuan Huan took the Qiankun Bag to Taishan County to plot against Ji Qiu.

Unfortunately, his attempt to outsmart Ji Qiu backfired. Not only did he fail to outmaneuver Ji Qiu, but he also lost both himself and his Qiankun Bag to Ji Qiu.

From this perspective, it seems that Yuan Shao should have criticized Yuan Huan instead.

After all, he was the one who carried out the plan, and he later sided with Ji Qiu.

But in Yuan Shao's mind, Yuan Huan was not even worthy of his scolding.

In this matter, only Yuan Shu deserved his rebuke.

"Huh? That's not right. I remember that transporting troops using the Qiankun Bag would consume a lot of dragon energy."

Even if Ji Qiu possessed the ability to teleport and had the Qiankun Bag, where could he find so much dragon energy?

"With just his three counties, totaling only 1.5 million people, even if he wiped out all the powerful clans and personally took control of these people, he probably wouldn't be able to transport many troops, would he?" Yuan Shao suddenly seemed to remember something and said.

But Xu You shook his head and said, "This is precisely the second conclusion of my analysis. Ji Qiu's strength is probably greater than we predicted!"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Yuan Shao asked.

(End of this chapter)