I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 366 What a big boy

What has Liu Miao been doing lately?

"It seems he's obsessed with acrobatics."

"Ok?"

The Imperial Palace of Ye City.

Nothing can be truly awe-inspiring without magnificence.

The palace in Ye City is now increasingly resembling the former palace in Luoyang. Yuan Shao sits on his throne, his aura becoming more and more majestic and mysterious, seemingly a completely different person from the Yuan Shao of the past.

Ever since Yuan Shao learned of the news about the rice from Champa, he has been keeping a close eye on Liu Miao and has instructed Guo Tu to pay attention to the movements in the south.

But now you're saying that Liu Miao was obsessed with various entertainments?
"It's true."

Guo Tu also presented Yuan Shao with a book, namely "The Record of Zhao Xing, the Ancestral King of Nanyue, on His Journey to India".

Yuan Shao picked it up and casually flipped through a couple of pages. Suddenly, his usual stern expression changed, and he began to laugh to himself.

"That's his style of doing things. This kind of story isn't something just anyone can make up."

Guo Tu followed up, saying, "I've heard that Liu Miao's compilation of this play has caused the people of Jiangdong to flock south by boat. Such behavior is a sign of national ruin!"

The people should always be the private property of the state.

Ordinary people should honestly work in the fields; this is for the good of the people and for the good of the country.

However, Liu Miao's current policy of allowing the southern population, which is already smaller than the north, to not engage in agriculture seems like a sign of national subjugation, so it's no wonder that Guo Tu had this idea.

Ultimately, he lacked ambition.

Yuan Shao acknowledged that Liu Miao did indeed possess some courage and ability, but he did not believe that Liu Miao had any great ambitions.

Perhaps for Liu Miao, establishing the Han dynasty and ascending the throne was his true ambition. This might explain why he became so engrossed in various entertainments and allowed the people to leave their land.
"It seems that Liu Miao is probably in cahoots with Yuan Shu."

Liu Miao's ambition was probably limited to simply becoming emperor and establishing a system of government.

However, Yuan Shao's ambitions clearly went beyond this!
"Now that the situation in Hebei has been settled, it is time to start planning the southern expedition."

During the time Liu Miao was "obsessed" with various entertainments, Yuan Shao had already quelled the rebellions caused by the defeat at the Battle of Kunyang.

To appease the people, Yuan Shao, like his friend Cao Cao, also copied Liu Miao's land equalization policy and distributed it to farmers, temporarily stabilizing the situation... although neither Yuan Shao nor the officials of Zhao would admit it.

When Guo Tu heard that Yuan Shao was preparing for a southern expedition, he hesitated to speak.

"Why be so impartial? Just say what you think."

After hesitating for a moment, Guo Tu finally voiced his guess—

"I wonder if Your Majesty has noticed that winter clothing in Hebei this year is generally 30% more expensive than in previous years."

Guo Tu said with concern: "I have discovered that the Liaodong region is buying up furs and wool on a large scale."

"Furthermore, I have also discovered that in the markets of some large cities in Hebei, silk, tea, and even porcelain produced in Jiangdong have appeared..."

Yuan Shao immediately understood Guo Tu's meaning and narrowed his eyes.

"Does Gongze mean that Gongsun Du is outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant? And is still secretly trading with Liu Miao?"

"Yes!"

Guo Tu was extremely uneasy.

There was actually one more thing he hadn't told Yuan Shao.

That means not all of those furs went to Liaodong, but a large portion went to Guanzhong!

Even more terrifyingly, a large number of warhorses from Youzhou and Bingzhou were transported to Guanzhong!

And the person currently in charge of Guanzhong is none other than Yuan Shao's eldest son, Yuan Tan, who was granted the title of Prince of Qin!

That's why Guo Tu hesitated when reporting this matter to Yuan Shao, deliberately omitting the word "Guanzhong." "Hmph."

Yuan Shao snorted coldly.

“Gongsun Du is cunning; I had long suspected he would act this way.”

"Leave this matter to Gongze. Warn Gongsun Du not to try any tricks, or the Youzhou army could march on Liaodong at any time!"

But as soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Shao suddenly fell into thought.

"A few winter clothes are not necessarily untradeable."

"But the warhorses must absolutely not fall into Liu Miao's hands from Liaodong! Otherwise, if I ever see Liaodong warhorses on the battlefield in the future, I will absolutely not spare him!"

"Here!"

Guo Tu got the job he wanted, but his first task was not to investigate trade in Liaodong, but to secretly investigate matters in Guanzhong.

It's okay if we don't investigate.

Upon investigation, Guo Tu felt a lump in his throat!
In just six months, a total of three thousand warhorses flowed into Guanzhong from Bingzhou, Youzhou, and even from the accounts of the Xiongnu and Wuhuan, and then disappeared without a trace!

Instead, Hebei's markets now feature many silks, teas, and porcelains that were originally from the south...

Even a fool would know what's going on if they did this!

Three thousand warhorses!

And this only refers to the flow from Hebei into the south.

If we include the uncountable areas of Xiliang and Liaodong...

Did Liu Miao acquire tens of thousands of warhorses?
Such a terrifying conjecture almost made Guo Tu dizzy!
"Young Master, what exactly are you doing?"

Guo Tu quickly wrote a letter to Yuan Tan, requesting that he tell him the truth and advising Yuan Tan to turn back before making a grave mistake!
Upon receiving this letter, Yuan Tan did not immediately reply to Guo Tu, but instead sent a letter to Xu You.

Clearly, Yuan Tan had already tasted the sweetness of success.

Yuan Tan pocketed most of the smuggling profits.

With this money and supplies, Yuan Tan had secretly built up an elite force of two thousand men in Guanzhong, creating a secret force that even Yuan Shao was unaware of!
Yuan Tan had experienced the feeling of being defeated and forced to flee to Ye City, becoming a fish on the chopping block in front of Yuan Shang, and he also knew the fear of having no troops and no power.

Therefore, this time, Yuan Tan will absolutely not hand over his foundation of power again!

The same applies to Xu You.

Through smuggling, Xu You has built a huge network in Hebei to cover his tracks.

No one can allow this net to break! Because if it breaks, it won't just be a matter of money, it will be a matter of life and death!
After Xu You visited several aristocratic families, Yuan Tan finally replied to Guo Tu.

"I know nothing about this!"

Don't know?

Guo Tu originally intended to slap the evidence in Yuan Tan's face to make Yuan Tan admit his mistake, but he was shocked to find that all the evidence he had found had vanished overnight.

This result sent chills down Guo Tu's spine!
He couldn't believe how many people and how much power were behind all this! Trading with Liu Miao and helping him acquire warhorses!

"Aren't you all afraid that the country will cease to exist?"

Guo Tu was heartbroken, but dared not tell Yuan Shao about it.

Because he knew that if this matter went wrong even slightly, it could cause bloodshed in the North!
"Prepare a horse for me, and do not tell anyone of my whereabouts! If His Majesty asks, say that I went north to investigate the situation in Liaodong!"

Guo Tu concealed his tracks and secretly headed towards Guanzhong!

He couldn't believe that the upright and courageous Yuan Tan had become like this!

For the sake of Yuan's regime, Guo Tu felt it necessary to explain the advantages and disadvantages to Yuan Tan face to face!

　Sorry, I have a bit of a headache. I've been feeling a bit listless these past few days due to illness. I'll try to get back to work as soon as possible!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)