The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 150 Yuan Shao's civil and military affairs are a mess, while Liu Bei's civil and military affairs are in harmony (5th update)
Feng Ji hesitated to speak.

He wanted to refute Liu Bei, but then realized that Liu Bei was not as easily slandered as Tian Feng, so he swallowed back the slander that was on the tip of his tongue.

Now that Yuan Shao has transferred Yan Liang and Wen Chou to Liu Bei as deputy generals to recruit and train new soldiers, going to provoke Liu Bei at this time would be tantamount to asking for trouble and only making him a laughing stock.

Feng Ji was secretly annoyed, but found it inconvenient to vent his anger.

Guo Tu chimed in, "General, you are wise! The Left General is both intelligent and brave, and with the assistance of the generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou, this raid will surely achieve great success. Cao Cao only won a brief victory at Guandu, yet he dares to presume to teach you how to do things. How foolish! When the time is right, you can once again lead your elite troops to capture Cao Cao alive and vent your anger!"

Feng Ji suppressed his sarcasm and resentment, forced a smile, and cupped his hands, saying, "Congratulations, General, on your excellent strategy!"

But in his heart, he truly despised Liu Bei: "He stole a few fallacies from Tian Feng and Ju Shou and presumptuously claimed to be able to defeat Cao Cao. Even with the help of Yan Liang and Wen Chou, how could he possibly succeed? If he makes any mistake... Hmph."

The other civil and military officials also echoed this sentiment.

Only Shen Pei frowned deeply and remained silent.

Seeing Shen Pei's attitude, Yuan Shao looked displeased.

Everyone else agreed, but you're the only one making a show of it?
Because Liu Bei was present, Yuan Shao could not cause a scene, so he sent Shen Pei to prepare money, food, weapons and horses for Liu Bei to recruit soldiers.

He then said to Liu Bei, "I will entrust the task of recruiting and training new soldiers to harass Cao Cao. When I capture Cao Cao alive in the future, I will never forget your hard work."

Liu Bei secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but was eager to talk with Tian Feng, so he took his leave again.

After Shen Pei and Liu Bei left one after another, Meng Dai, who had a grudge against Shen Pei, immediately gave Jiang Qi a meaningful look.

Jiang Qi understood and, taking advantage of Yuan Shao's dissatisfaction with Shen Pei, advised, "General, Shen Pei has always been autocratic, and his clan is powerful and his army is strong. In addition, both of Shen Pei's sons are in Cao Cao's hands. If Shen Pei were to rebel, we would all become Cao Cao's prisoners! Today, everyone agrees with General Zuo's strategy of weakening Cao Cao, but Shen Pei alone remains silent, which shows that his heart is no longer with you, General! We must be wary!"

Seeing that someone was stepping forward, and observing that Yuan Shao disliked Shen Pei, Guo Tu and Xin Ping also chimed in.

After the defeat at Guandu, Yuan Shao's forces were greatly weakened, and his generals were left with very few troops.

However, Shen Pei held most of the military power in Ye City.

Whether they were worried about his rebellion or coveted his military power, Guo Tu and Xin Ping were happy to see it happen and naturally agreed.

Yuan Shao also harbored a deep-seated fear of Shen Pei.

In addition, Yuan Shao always believed that Shen Pei should bear the main responsibility for the defeat at Guandu. If Shen Pei had not captured Xu You’s family members without authorization, there would have been no fire at Wuchao or defeat at Guandu.
If it weren't for the powerful clan and strong army of Shen Pei, Yuan Shao would have executed Shen Pei long ago.

Jiang Qi's advice just now was exactly what Yuan Shao wanted to hear.

If we seize Shen Pei's military power first, then his clan power can be gradually eliminated.

Rather than saying Jiang Qi was slandering, it would be more accurate to say that Yuan Shao deliberately acquiesced.

Success! Yuan Shao now has troops and supplies, so why not?

If that doesn't work, giving Jiang Qi a good scolding or punishing him would also appease Shen Pei, and Yuan Shao wouldn't lose out either.

Therefore.

After Jiang Qi convicted Shen Pei, Yuan Shao immediately appointed Meng Dai as military supervisor to replace Shen Pei in guarding Ye City.

But before Meng Dai could accept the order, Feng Ji stepped forward to object: "General, please think carefully! Shen Pei is by nature strong-willed and straightforward, and admires the integrity of the ancients. He would never do anything unjust just because his two sons are in Cao Cao's hands! Moreover, Shen Pei has a grudge against Xu You. How could Xu You let Shen Pei's two sons go? General, you should take this opportunity to appease Shen Pei and not harbor any further doubts!" ​​Yuan Shao was immediately surprised.
If these words came from Tian Feng, Yuan Shao would not be surprised at all. However, Feng Ji and Shen Pei had always been at odds, so instead of kicking him when he was down, he tried his best to protect him.
Feng Ji responded with righteous indignation: "Our past disputes were private grudges, but what we are discussing today is official business. How can I let personal matters interfere with the General's important duties?"

What a shameless scoundrel!

Meng Dai, Jiang Qi, Guo Tu, Xin Ping, and others all secretly despised Feng Ji.

You are usually the one who stirs up trouble, yet now you claim to be "fair and impartial"?
Everyone immediately understood: Feng Ji didn't mean he didn't want to share Shen Pei's military power; he clearly didn't want to share it with everyone, wanted to monopolize the benefits, and even wanted Shen Pei's gratitude! Helplessly, for a moment, no one had any words to refute Feng Ji, and could only glare angrily at him.

really.

Upon hearing Feng Ji's words of "selflessness," Yuan Shao reconsidered Jiang Qi's advice.

In contrast, Yuan Shao sternly rebuked Jiang Qi: "If I had listened to your words, I would have almost become suspicious of a virtuous minister. Considering your past merits, I will not punish you. But if you dare to slander and frame me again, I will surely execute you without mercy!"

Jiang Qi didn't get any benefits and was scolded instead. His neck thickened immediately, and he lowered his head to admit his mistake, looking at Feng Ji with eyes that seemed to want to kill him.

Feng Ji, however, wore an arrogant expression, secretly looking down on them: Do you think you're worthy to fight me?

After everyone had left, Yuan Shao's eyes turned extremely fierce.

“Xu You betrayed me and left, and now even Feng Ji is not going to my will.”

Xu You and Feng Ji were among the first to follow Yuan Shao. After Dong Zhuo took control of Luoyang, Xu You and Feng Ji followed Yuan Shao to Ji Province. Because Feng Ji was knowledgeable and good at offering advice, Yuan Shao trusted him greatly and appointed him as Protector of the Army.

The result is today.

Feng Ji surprisingly chose to plead for Shen Pei.

In the eyes of Meng Dai and others, Feng Ji wanted to monopolize the benefits; in the eyes of Yuan Shao, Feng Ji wanted to form a faction with Shen Pei.

Yuan Shao was a classic example of someone who would have died if he hadn't courted death.

Despite having two talented men, Tian Feng and Ju Shou, who valued gratitude and were wholeheartedly dedicated to building Yuan Shao's foundation, Yuan Shao felt that they were overstepping their bounds and failing to provide him with sufficient emotional support.

Xu You, Feng Ji, and others did provide Yuan Shao with ample emotional support, but each of them was driven by self-interest, abusing their power for personal gain and enriching themselves at the expense of Yuan Shao's overall interests.

While Yuan Shao's indulgence played a part, it also confirms Zhuge Liang's saying: "The wise ruler is valued for recognizing and employing people well, and the virtuous minister is valued for choosing a lord to serve. A wise ruler who obtains loyal and virtuous men can achieve the great cause of the Five Hegemons; a virtuous minister who serves a mediocre ruler may suffer the calamity of having his nest destroyed."

Yuan Shao was frustrated and annoyed, while Liu Bei, who had just left the General's Mansion, was overjoyed.

Zhuge Liang impressed Tian Feng with his erudition and virtue, making Tian Feng appear even more "humble" than before.

In addition, Liu Bei successfully persuaded Yuan Shao on Tian Feng's behalf, so Tian Feng was grateful and agreed to have a few drinks with Liu Bei.

It's called a "small drink," but once you've had your fill of drinking, it's impossible to really say it's a small drink.

When they had drunk their fill, Tian Feng couldn't help but sigh: "In the past, Ju Shou and I jointly offered a plan to exhaust Cao Cao, but the General refused to listen. Now, the Left General is using the same plan, and the General readily accepts it. If only things had been like this earlier, how could there have been the defeat at Guandu! It's a pity that tens of thousands of soldiers in Hebei have all suffered such a disaster."

Thinking of Cao Cao's massacre of tens of thousands of prisoners, Tian Feng was even more indignant: "That traitor Cao is so cruel, I wish I could tear him to pieces!"

　Chapter 5 is here! Please vote with your monthly tickets! Have a great weekend!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)