After nearly half a month, Xu You finally rushed back to Jizhou. In Jizhou, there were naturally warm receptions from officials along the way, which made Xu You regain a lot of confidence. But when he thought of Jia Rong in Chang'an, he couldn't be happy.
As a counselor under Yuan Shao's tent, he knew the meaning of his actions in Chang'an, which was betrayal of his lord, but in order to survive and gain glory, he would not hesitate to do so. Jia Xu's analysis also allowed him to
We have a more detailed understanding of the world and a clearer understanding of the various princes.
If he asked Yuan Shao or Jia Rong who he was more optimistic about, it would be Jia Rong. Cao Cao occupies the vast territory of the Central Plains, Yuan Shao only has one state in Jizhou and has limited strength, while the Xiliang army is powerful and ranks first in the world. It seems like this
Only under the lord's command can you be more at peace.
In troubled times, no one wants to die in vain and become nothing more than dirt. Xu You is also a member of a family, and he also wants to make some contributions to the family before he dies. Of course, it is best to be able to leave a name in history, which is the dream of all literati.
things.
"A scholar dies for his bosom friend. Isn't there a saying that a good bird will choose a tree to roost in?" Xu You muttered secretly.
For some reason, after returning to Jizhou from Chang'an, Xu You no longer treated Yuan Shao with the same awe as before. He always liked to compare Yuan Shao and Jia Rong. Gradually, he discovered that Jia Rong's behavior was so unfathomable, and that
Xu You can always quickly guess the meaning of Yuan Shao's words and deeds. The more he does this, the more he doesn't care about Yuan Shao.
"Master Xu's mission to Chang'an, I wonder if it will go well?" Tian Feng stepped forward and asked. At this time, Yuan Shaoshang had not arrived, and the ministers were talking among themselves in private.
Xu You smiled and said: "Prince Liang is also in awe of my lord. How could he embarrass the envoy? I have lived in Prince Liang's mansion for several months and experienced the prosperity of Chang'an. It is indeed well-deserved."
Jushu stepped forward and asked, "What about the alliance between the two armies?"
"This matter should be discussed after the Lord arrives." Xu You said in a pretentious manner.
In Jizhou, Xu You still has a very high status. Whenever Yuan Shao has something to do, he always talks to Xu You, Tian Feng and others, and Xu You is the spokesperson among the counselors. Although Yuan Shao does not say it explicitly, implicitly, he Xu You is the counselor of Jizhou.
the first person.
Seeing Yuan Shao walking out, the officials and generals became quiet one after another. After paying homage, they stood quietly on both sides.
After Yuan Shao said some polite words, he turned his attention to Xu You and said with a smile: "Master Xu is on a mission to Chang'an. I wonder what the situation is?"
In fact, he had already received Xu You last night, and knew all the results. He was very satisfied with Xu You's performance during this trip.
"I would like to inform my lord that the King of Liang is willing to form an alliance with the Jizhou Army. The fact that the Qingzhou War ended so smoothly is partly due to the help of the King of Liang."
Yuan Shao's face tightened. He had not heard Xu You mention this matter last night, and he asked hurriedly: "What's the reason for this?" His tone was quite unhappy. After anyone won the victory, when he heard about this victory, in fact,
There is help from others behind the scenes, so I definitely won’t be in a good mood.
"My lord, have you ever heard about the men in black in Yanzhou?" Xu You said.
It's okay not to mention the men in black. When the men in black were mentioned, the officials in Jizhou immediately started talking. Jizhou was not spared. Many officials and generals were assassinated, and the unlucky ones even died directly.
"Men in black? There are also people in Jizhou. Is this related to King Liang?" Yuan Shao's tone tightened.
Xu You said slowly: "My Lord, when I first arrived in Chang'an, I heard that men in black appeared in Chang'an City and repeatedly assassinated officials in the city. Even the King of Liang was almost injured. For this reason, Xiliang
The army once went to war to block the city."
"After the investigation by King Liang, these men in black were found to be the perpetrators of Cao Cao. The leader was Deng Zhan, a famous knight in the world. Now they have been killed by King Liang, and their corpses have been hung on the city gate."
Xu You said somewhat exaggeratedly.
Yuan Shao and a group of Jizhou's counselors did not know that there was such a thing. Not all princes had so many ears and eyes. Even if they had ears and eyes, it was still difficult for them to find out about some upper-level affairs. What was reported back to Jizhou was nothing more than
It's just trivial matters.
"Please also ask Mr. Xu to speak clearly about the men in black in Jizhou." Seeing Xu You's constant betrayal, some counselors couldn't help it and stepped forward to ask.
"The men in black in Jizhou may be Cao's army." Xu You said: "The King of Liang has made an alliance with our army and will definitely not do this."
"The recurring appearance of men in black under Cao Cao's rule has made people panic. At the beginning, King Liang told Beizhi that this was to support his lord in fighting Cao Cao," Xu You said.
Although Yuan Shao, the leader, looked worried, he was still vaguely happy in his heart. He could get the support of the Xiliang army, and he would be able to have more hands and feet when fighting Cao Cao in the future. He might also be able to buy weapons, armor and horses from Chang'an.
"This time I was sent as an envoy to Chang'an. I was rewarded with a hundred taels of gold for my great merit," said Yuan Shao.
Officials came forward one after another to express their congratulations. Jizhou's financial situation was also very bad. Not only was it so strong on the surface, but it was also plagued by successive wars. Even Cao Cao was not willing to spend one hundred taels of gold as a reward to his officials and generals.
"Thank you, Lord." Xu You said.
After everyone dispersed, Yuan Shao left Xu You alone.
"Ziyuan, sit down quickly." Yuan Shao said with a smile.
"I wonder if King Liang would agree to sell weapons and horses to our army?" Yuan Shao asked what he wanted to know most.
After Xu You sat down, he held up his hands and said, "Since King Liang has decided to form an alliance with our army, he has agreed to provide weapons to our army, but these things are expensive."
"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, as long as you are willing to sell it." Yuan Shao expressed joy.
"Lord, regarding the price, I will have a low-level job to negotiate with the Xiliang army." Xu You took over the responsibility and purchased the weapons. The interests involved were huge. Xu You could just take the opportunity to make a profit and make up for the losses during the trip to Chang'an.
Return some.
Yuan Shao personally escorted Xu You out of the house, and even sent soldiers to escort him to Xu You's house, which caused a lot of discussion among the officials in the city.
After Gongsun Du learned that Wei Lan and three thousand soldiers had arrived in Liaodong, he immediately sent Liu Yi to lead the army to meet the enemy.
Everyone in Weilan, including the powerful Jizhou Army, suffered defeats at his hands, not to mention Liu Yi. In three battles, Liu Yi suffered heavy defeats. Of the 5,000 men in his hand, more than 2,000 people were left.
He fled back to the city in embarrassment, relied on the city, and dealt with the Xiliang army.
I was used to the fortified cities under the rule of the Xiliang army, but when I looked at the cities in Liaodong, I felt that it was very different. It would be difficult to save them under a single charge by the army.
As expected, Weilan lived up to his reputation as a brave general and a wise general. He showed his weakness to the enemy, which led Liu Yi to go out of the city again to fight with the Xiliang army. Weilan killed him in one battle and cut off one of Gongsun Du's arms.
Gongsun Du once again sent his general Yang Yi to fight, but he was unable to win. Three thousand vanguard troops captured the three counties, causing Gongsun Du to fall into panic. Recently, unidentified men in black appeared in the city, and assassinations continued.
.
Not only him, but also some officials in Liaodong were worried, but anyone with some knowledge would realize how powerful the Xiliang army was.
"Master Marquis, please see me." The guard outside the door came in and said.
"My lord, what is he here for?" Gongsun Du said, "Let him come in."
After Guan Ning walked in, he did not pay homage, but only slightly bowed his hands. He was a famous scholar, so naturally he would not imitate the flattery of ordinary officials, and he did not need it.
"Master Guan, why are you here?" Gongsun Du asked, without any displeasure in his tone. Guan Ning is a famous literary master. He has made a lot of contributions to Liaodong in recent years. He is famous, but Gongsun Du is ordinary.
I don't dare to be too presumptuous in front of him.
"I came here for the tens of thousands of people in Liaodong." Guan Ning said calmly.
"Oh, what do you mean by this? Do you have any good strategies to defeat the enemy?" Gongsun Du asked.
"No, but I can send an envoy to the Xiliang army to persuade them to retreat." Guan Ning said.
Gongsun Du was a little dissatisfied. He thought that sending an envoy to the Xiliang Army would make them retreat. It was too easy for the Xiliang Army to do so. However, Guan Ning was a famous figure and was willing to go on an envoy. Naturally, he would not refuse.
, smiled and said: "It is our army's great fortune that Sir Guan has such a heart. I wonder what I want from you?"
"You only need two soldiers to accompany you."
Guan Ning was detained as soon as he arrived in Huang Zhong's army. He didn't even see Huang Zhong's face. Nonsense, what can a Confucian scholar do? Instead of letting him chatter in front of him, it would be easier to imprison him directly.
It won't be too late to release him after things in Liaodong are settled.
Weilan's war in Liaodong went very smoothly, which made Ma Chao a little anxious. He didn't want to come to Youzhou in vain and hurriedly asked Huang Zhong for a battle.
Huang Zhong agreed and ordered Ma Chao and Lu Bu to each lead two thousand soldiers and horses to the battlefield.
Most of Lu Bu's men are athletes from the grassland and have superb riding skills, while Ma Chao's cavalry are not that many. Although he has a relationship with Zhao Yun, Zhao Yun will not hand over the five hundred blood guards in his hands.
Yes, it was Zhao Yun who took great pains to get it from Jia Rong.
With the help of cavalry, Lu Bu repeatedly performed meritorious deeds on the battlefield, harassed the enemy, and cut off food routes. In just half a month, he gained a great reputation in Liaodong.
Gongsun Du could not resist, and retreated all the way to the county town, hoping to rely on the strong city to deal with the Xiliang army. After the food and grass were exhausted, he would retreat. In his opinion, the climate in Liaodong was poor, and even the Xiliang army would be short-lived.
It was difficult to adapt within a short period of time. He was waiting for the Xiliang Army to retreat on its own, but he ignored the determination of the top brass of the Xiliang Army and the fighting spirit of the soldiers at the bottom.
Jia Rong was leisurely again in Chang'an. In political affairs, Zhang Zhao stood up, and he would only make a decision on big things. The previous handling of official affairs made him feel very painful, so he decided to delegate power again, which was also his decision.
This is why Zhang Zhao, Zhang Li, Jia Xu and others are very relieved.
