My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 207 Using Xu to Control Yang
As expected, after Shen Pei finished speaking, Yuan Shao was not angry at all. Instead, he took the initiative to appease him, saying, "Zheng Nan's words make sense. Let's calm down."

Then, he turned to Xin Ping and said, “Zhongzhi is loyal to the country and has no time to think about his own life. This is not ungrateful, but rather a matter of righteousness. However, Liu Xuande is loyal, righteous, benevolent, humble and kind. He is no match for our state. If we rashly raise an army, I am afraid that the people of the world will doubt us.”

Yuan Shao's words effectively sealed the deal on this matter.

Liu Bei is a good man; we shouldn't attack him.

Yuan Shao then immediately affirmed Xin Ping's loyalty and righteousness, clarifying that Xin Ping's proposal was not out of selfishness or ingratitude, but for the sake of the state and his lord, disregarding his own reputation.

After receiving Yuan Shao's affirmation, Xin Ping bowed to the ground in admiration: "Your Excellency's magnanimity and refined taste are beyond my reach."

"Your insight is truly remarkable."

Everyone in the council hall bowed their heads and prostrated themselves on the ground.

"Please rise, everyone."

At this moment, Yuan Shao was still very satisfied with Xin Ping. How could Yuan Shao not be moved that the other party could put loyalty to him above righteousness to his friends?

Many people believe that Yuan Shao already showed signs of a dynastic change when he was in Hebei, but this perception is actually extremely wrong.

Yuan Shao faced no fewer problems than Cao Cao, and perhaps even more.

Cao Cao at least had a base of support from the Cao family and the Xiahou family, who were loyal to him to the death. Yuan Shao, however, did not have such a base. The loyalists of the Yuan family were either in Runan Commandery or had been killed by Yuan Shu. He didn't have many people under his command.

From Yuan Shao's perspective, not to mention the Hebei faction, even the Henan faction, which was affiliated with him, openly opposed his attempt to change the dynasty.

On the eve of the Battle of Guandu, which was the same year that Yuan Shao destroyed Gongsun Zan.

Yuan Shao made two probing moves. The first was to neglect the tribute, using Cao Cao's kidnapping of Emperor Xian of Han as a reason to refuse to continue paying tribute to the court.

This test was supported by the ministers, since Yuan and Cao were about to go to war, and continuing to pay tribute would be tantamount to aiding the enemy.

However, Yuan Shao misjudged the situation, thinking that everyone had completely abandoned their respect and support for the Han Dynasty. So, with a mix of smugness and trepidation, he hurriedly arranged a second test.

The second time was when he instructed Geng Bao, the chief clerk of the General's Office, to secretly say, "The Red Virtue is waning, and Yuan is the heir of the Yellow Emperor. It is appropriate to follow the will of Heaven."

This means that the Liu family's time has come to an end, and the Yuan family, being descendants of Emperor Shun, is replacing the Red De with the Yellow De, thus fulfilling the will of Heaven and taking over the Liu family's rule.

To gauge public reaction to his declaration of himself as emperor, Yuan Shao publicly revealed Geng Bao's remarks to his military staff.

The idea was nice, but the reality was harsh.

For the first time, Yuan Shao, the powerful ruler of Hebei, felt his own weakness and powerlessness.

The result of Yuan Shao's probing was that everyone believed Bao was a heretic and should be executed. Shao then killed Bao to exonerate himself.

Not only did all his subordinates believe that Geng Bao was spreading heresies and confusing the public, and that he should be beheaded, but even the officials of the prefecture and county vehemently opposed it.

Scholars from Henan and Hebei surprisingly set aside their past grievances and spoke in unison, their voices so powerful that they shocked Yuan Shao, who was forced to execute Bao to appease him.

This incident was a classic case of a small matter having big consequences, and from then on, the conflict between Yuan Shao and the people of Hebei grew increasingly intense.

Before, you all took advantage of my kindness and even spat at me in your eagerness to become emperor, and I tolerated it all.

But it turns out you never wanted me to be emperor at all, so all my patience was for nothing?

Therefore, the issue of loyalty to the Han dynasty was actually quite significant among warlord families throughout the late Eastern Han dynasty, because people of that era were far from accustomed to the concept of warlords as local emperors.

Many people only saw the warlords as their superiors, but in essence, they were all subjects under the Han Dynasty, doing the great work of restoring order.

Although the Han Dynasty was a dual monarchy, it differed fundamentally from the Western feudal system in that the emperor was the sovereign of all people, a fact that was beyond question.

For most scholars at the time, local warlords were indeed their lords, but the Han emperor was their emperor.

The last person to usurp the Han throne, Wang Mang, met a very tragic end.

Of the thirteen provinces under Heaven, four were ruled by governors surnamed Liu. Who knew if there might be a second Emperor Guangwu among them? Therefore, the gentry always maintained a very conservative attitude towards dynastic changes.

This problem was particularly evident in the cases of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Liu Yan, and Liu Biao, because they received investment from many aristocratic families when they established their businesses.

Liu Bei and Sun Ce were completely different. Their internal structures were relatively purer. Liu Bei never received significant investment from any powerful clans, while Sun Ce simply wiped out all the powerful clans in Jiangdong.

Although these events have not yet occurred, Yuan Shao was already quite aware of the conservative attitude of the scholars in Hebei.

Therefore, Yuan Shao valued Xin Ping's selfless loyalty highly and rewarded him handsomely.

After being praised by Yuan Shao, Xin Ping reported again: "My lord, there is one more matter that needs to be reported."

Yuan Shao, looking relaxed and speaking magnanimously, said, "Oh, Zhongzhi, is there anything else? Please speak freely."

"This is the recent situation of General Zuo."

The Left General was Yuan Shu, and Yuan Shu was either a brother to Yuan Shao or an irreconcilable enemy.

The moment Xin Ping uttered the words "General of the Left," Yuan Shao's relaxed expression vanished instantly.

This half-brother was practically the person Yuan Shao hated most, without exception.

Theoretically speaking, Yuan Ji was the first heir of the Yuan family, and Yuan Shao should have been the second heir.

Now that Yuan Ji is dead, Yuan Shao is the rightful clan leader.

However, after the Luoyang Incident, Yuan Shu took advantage of his southward retreat to seize most of the Yuan family's wealth. This was unacceptable to Yuan Shao, who already had a bad relationship with Yuan Shu and believed himself to be the rightful heir of the Yuan family.

Yuan Shao snorted coldly and nodded: "Zhongzhi, please speak."

Therefore, Xin Ping recounted the events in the entire Huai-Si and Jiang-Dong region, especially Yuan Shu's attack on Liu Bei, the clash between the two armies in Guangling City, and Liu Bei's army's successful defeat of Yuan Shu.

He also reported to Yuan Shao and the others in the hall about Sun Ce's successful sneak attack on Dantu, which swept across half of Wu Commandery and put Liu Yao in a very difficult position.

Yuan Shao's face was somewhat gloomy. He had not expected that Yuan Shu would show signs of a resurgence.

He couldn't help but resent Cao Cao. During the Battle of Kuangting, if it weren't for his own brother's deliberate leniency, Yuan Shu would have been captured alive even if he had three lives. But Cao Cao only surrounded him without capturing him. After a six-hundred-mile raid and three victories, he deliberately let Yuan Shu go, driving him all the way to the Huai and Si Rivers.

To say that there was no favoritism involved would be to treat Yuan Shao as a fool.

However, the situation was more urgent than he could be. Yuan Shao, who had failed to defeat Gongsun Zan, could not do without Cao Cao and had to provide him with substantial assistance. He not only sent Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao with 5,000 elite troops to provide direct support, but also provided tens of thousands of bushels of grain.

You have to understand that even wealthy families didn't have surplus grain these days. There was only one and a half grain-producing families like Liu Biao in the entire Han Dynasty, the other half being Liu Zhang.

Yuan Shao truly saved this much grain by the skin of his teeth, even cutting back on supplies for Ju Yi's side. If it weren't for helping Cao Cao, these tens of thousands of shi of grain would have been enough for Ju Yi to last at least one or two more months, or even allow him to retreat at his leisure, instead of suffering such a crushing defeat.

Yuan Shao made a concerted effort to regain his composure and asked, "What are your thoughts, gentlemen?"

"My lord, perhaps we can gradually subdue Yang!"

This was Ju Shou's first speech. At this time, Ju Shou's status could be considered the second most powerful person in Hebei. He had the power to command all the armies and his words carried considerable weight.

"Lord Liu of Xuzhou has always been at odds with General Zuo. General Zuo has been coveting Xuzhou, not only calling himself the Earl of Xuzhou but also constantly encroaching on the borders of Xuzhou. It is clear that there is a great conflict between the two of them, which is what Jizhou can take advantage of."

"If we allow Prefect Liu to go south to Yangzhou and attack General Zuo, regardless of victory or defeat, it will be a great thing for Jizhou. If Prefect Liu wins, General Zuo will be defeated and killed. If Prefect Liu loses, we may be able to take Qingzhou completely, and even send troops to aid Xu."

Upon hearing Ju Shou's words, Yuan Shao's spirits lifted, and he asked the others, "Your insight is very clear. What other brilliant ideas do you have? Please tell us all."

Ju Shou was known for his resourcefulness, decisiveness, and long-term vision. He had ambitions to rule the world and could be considered a key advisor to Yuan Shao. He had provided Yuan Shao with strategic advice, which broadened Yuan Shao's horizons, and he was relied upon as Yuan Shao's strategist.

Ju Shou rarely speaks, but when he does, he always has unique insights.

Yuan Shao's relationship with Ju Shou also went through two phases. In the first phase, he listened to Ju Shou's advice and his power continued to grow. In the second phase, he suspected that Ju Shou had ulterior motives and began to disobey his advice, which ultimately led to the disastrous defeat at Guandu.

Ju Shou spoke up, "If you, my lord, can lure Governor Liu south, you will achieve three goals at once." "How so?"

Yuan Shao only thought of two advantages. The first advantage was naturally to divert Liu Bei's attention from Qingzhou. No matter what, Yuan Shu was a powerful warlord in Huai and Si provinces. If Liu Bei did not go all out, he might not be able to defeat Yuan Shu.

In this way, once Xu Yang starts a war, Liu Bei will naturally be unable to attend to Qingzhou. And as long as Liu Bei doesn't want to expand into Qingzhou, Yuan Shao is happy to maintain the current peaceful state with him.

The second advantage, of course, was the campaign against Yuan Shu.

In this respect, whoever causes trouble for Yuan Shu is my good brother, Yuan Shao.

Even if Liu Bei really defeated Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao would only cheer and praise him.

As for the third ingenious point, Yuan Shao couldn't think of it.

"In the past, Your Excellency sent Yuan Yi south to seize Yuzhou, but he was defeated by the Left General. From then on, Runan no longer belonged to you."

Ju Shou was referring to Yuan Yi, the governor of Yangzhou whom Yuan Shao had recommended in the past. Yuan Yi was one of the few direct descendants of the main branch of the Yuan family who supported Yuan Shao and had always stood by Yuan Shao's side. Yuan Shao also trusted him quite a bit.

Therefore, Yuan Shao recommended Yuan Yi as the governor of Yangzhou, intending to seize control of the province.

However, Yuan Yi was no match for Yuan Shu and was immediately defeated and his forces collapsed. On his way to Pei State, he was killed by the mutinous soldiers under his own command.

There's another interesting point here: the reason Yuan Yi was recommended by Yuan Shao to serve as the governor of Yangzhou in the south was actually to make room for Cao Cao.

Yuan Yi's previous official position was Prefect of Shanyang Commandery in Yanzhou, which means that Shanyang Commandery was almost entirely Yuan Shao's territory.

The reason why Liu Dai was unable to control Yan Province was that several commanderies and kingdoms in Yan Province were actually controlled by Yuan Shao's influence, and Shanyang Commandery was one of them.

After Liu Dai's death in battle, Cao Cao, with the welcome of local scholars and the strong support of Yuan Shao, successfully ascended to the throne of Governor of Yan Province, becoming an ally of Yuan Shao.

However, the Eastern Commandery of Yanzhou is a huge loophole.

As is well known, the division of commanderies and kingdoms in the Eastern Han Dynasty always involved some very awkward and abnormal methods, which were intended to curb local independence.

Yanzhou was no exception; its most distorted aspect was the division of Dongjun.

The entire Dongjun County spans both sides of the Yellow River, like a sandwich, enclosing the Yellow River.

In this way, theoretically, the long stretch of riverside area north of the Yellow River was under the jurisdiction of Yanzhou.

This gave Tao Qian an opening, and he once sent troops north from Taishan Commandery, even reaching Fagan County in Dong Commandery to garrison troops. At the same time, he joined forces with Liu Bei, Shan Jing, and Tian Kai under Gongsun Zan, directly threatening Yuan Shao's main base, Ye City, as well as Cao Cao's main bases, Dongwuyang and Juancheng.

Fagan County is not only located north of the Yellow River, but it is also less than 200 li away from Ye City in a straight line, and you don't even need to cross the Yellow River, which is more convenient than going to Puyang, the capital of Dongjun County.

It is easy to imagine how great a threat this posed to Ye City.

Yuan Shao and Cao Cao immediately joined forces to launch a counterattack, successfully thwarting the Gongsun alliance's operation.

Subsequently, Yuan and Cao immediately discussed solutions to the problem and eventually reached an agreement.

Cao Cao ceded the territory of Dongjun north of the Yellow River to Yuan Shao, which is why Yuan Shao's favorite general Zang Hong later became the governor of Dongjun in Yanzhou.

Yuan Shao then ceded Shanyang Commandery to Cao Cao. To compensate Yuan Yi for losing his position as governor of Shanyang, Yuan Shao provided money, grain, and troops to support Yuan Yi's move south to Yangzhou to serve as governor of Yangzhou.

Both Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were very satisfied with this territorial exchange.

Yuan Shao seized all of Hebei and was able to support Yuan Yi's advance into Yangzhou, while Cao Cao exchanged half of the devastated Dongjun for the intact Shanyangjun, making it a win-win situation for all.

This grand strategic plan was proposed by Ju Shou.

Ju Shou never expected that Yuan Yi, who had marched south to Yangzhou, would be so easily defeated by Yuan Shu, and that he would not even be able to save his own life.

An even more significant consequence was that the Yuan family's core base in Runan Commandery was directly transferred to Yuan Shu's command, causing Yuan Shao's influence over his hometown of Runan Commandery to plummet.

This greatly displeased Yuan Shao, but he was powerless to do anything about it.

"Your Excellency can choose a reliable person and recommend him to be the Prefect of Runan. Then, ask Governor Liu to send troops to assist you. In this way, Your Excellency may be able to reclaim the foundation of Runan and cut off the Left General's arm."

Ju Shou's suggestion immediately caught Yuan Shao's eye and piqued his interest.

Runan Commandery was the second largest commandery in the country, and unlike Nanyang Commandery, it was not in ruins and still had a population of over one million. This mere commandery was almost as large as the population of Xuzhou.

If Yuan Shao could take Runan Commandery from Yuan Shu's mouth, it would be like cutting off Yuan Shu's arm, greatly diminishing the latter's prestige and strength.

Moreover, its location is extremely important, being the heart of Yuzhou, bordering Yangzhou to the southeast, Jingzhou to the southwest, and Yanzhou to the north. If Runan Commandery can be controlled, it can echo Hebei and coordinate with the north and south.

If Yuan Shao were to personally send troops, it wouldn't be that there were no troops to send, but rather that the troops he sent would immediately become like trees without roots or water without a source, easily following in the footsteps of Yuan Yi.

If Liu Bei were to send troops, not only would the risk be transferred to him, but Runan would also be separated from Xuzhou only by Pei State. Pei State is still a prefecture that Xuzhou can influence, so it would not have the disadvantages and shortcomings of Yuan Shao's army.

After much hesitation, Yuan Shao finally decided against it and said, "This plan is excellent, but the risks are also extremely high. Let me think it over carefully."

Although Yuan Shao did not specify what the risks were, everyone present knew that the biggest risk was whether Liu Bei would usurp the throne.

How to persuade Liu Bei to willingly send troops to protect Yuan Shao's men without usurping his position is a question that Yuan Shao needs to carefully consider.

After the deliberation, Guo Tu, Guo Yuan, and Xin Pi went to Xin Ping's residence.

Guo Yuan was Guo Tu's cousin, Zhong Yao's nephew, and also the nephew of Xin Ping and Xin Pi.

It is evident that the intermarriages among the prominent families of Yingchuan are intricate and deeply rooted, forming a complex and interconnected network.

After Xin Pingping withdrew, Guo Yuan was the first to speak, unable to suppress his doubts: "Uncle, you had already decided on Xu Zhiyang's strategy yesterday, so why are you hiding your true abilities today?"

The people present were Xin Ping's close relatives and friends by marriage, and belonged to the same small circle, so they were naturally able to share the most confidential information.

After Xin Ping returned, he recounted Liu Bei's virtues and argued that Liu Bei could be brought in as an ally rather than an enemy.

However, Xin Ping was meticulous and determined that Liu Bei had ambitions to rule the world and would inevitably clash with Yuan Shao in the future.

Therefore, he deliberately invited Yuan Shao to go south to Qing and Xu first. As long as Yuan Shao refused, even if trouble arose later, it would not be his fault.

What's more, he successfully shifted the blame eastward, taking advantage of the information gap to severely harm the people from Hebei.

Even with their brilliant strategies, Ju Shou and Tian Feng could never have imagined that their lack of understanding of Xuzhou and Liu Bei would lead them into such a predicament.

Regarding Guo Yuan's question, Xin Ping explained, "Wen Yuan, we can discuss this privately, but in the hall, your uncle is the only one who should not propose this strategy."

Guo Yuan was still puzzled, looking completely bewildered.

Guo Tu smiled and stroked his beard, saying, "Wen Yuan, your uncle just presented a strategy to march south to Qing and Xu to attack Liu Bei, and then he turned around and presented another strategy: to unite with Liu Bei, use Xu to control Yang, and borrow troops to enter Runan. Isn't this just telling others that your uncle is playing tricks?"

Guo Yuan thought about it carefully and suddenly realized that this was indeed the taste.

But after solving one problem, Guo Yuan remembered another and asked Guo Tu, "Father, didn't you used to dislike Liu Bei? Why are you speaking up for him now?"

Guo Yuan's question only made things worse; Guo Tu's face suddenly turned red, and he began to stammer.

The Xin brothers burst into laughter.

Others might not know, but how could the two of them not know?

Of the cartloads of wealth and goods that Liu Bei sent, some belonged to Guo Tu.

Having received such a generous gift, and with no deep-seated grudges, Guo Gongze, though a petty man, possessed the strength of agility, and naturally could no longer be an enemy of Xuzhou.

(End of this chapter)