Three Kingdoms: Ten Times Speed, Diao Chan Says I'm Too Fast

After passing through the main hall, Yuan Shao returned to his study.

When the heavy imperial edict was placed on the table, Yuan Shao sat down with a furrowed brow.

On one hand, he was the Governor of Ji Province, a former general, and the one who established his own government.

On one hand, there was the life and death of the people of Jizhou.

how to choose?

Of course, this not only involves the life and death of the people of Ji Province, but also Yuan Shao's future.

Why is there a clause about bestowing the title of Governor of Ji Province on the imperial edict regarding the requisition of grain?

Clearly, the imperial court wanted an obedient governor of Ji Province.

If he does not act in accordance with the imperial court's orders, then the governor of Ji Province will very likely be someone else.

It could be Zhang, Qian, Sun, or Li; or it could be Zhou, Wu, Zheng, or Wang.

It couldn't possibly be Yuan Shao anyway.

dong dong dong.

There was a knock on the study door.

Yuan Shao didn't even look at it before simply saying "Come in."

Xu You, dressed in a gray robe and wearing a tall mountain-shaped crown, entered the study.

"Ziyuan, please sit down."

Yuan Shao, his eyes glazed over, pointed at the imperial edict before him and said, "Ziyuan, help me think of a solution. What should we do?"

After taking his seat, Xu You stroked his beard.

After a moment's thought, she shook her head and said, "This is difficult; I'm torn."

"Benchu ​​just petitioned the people of Jizhou to reduce taxes, but then he wants to collect taxes again. If this continues, the people's hearts that he has worked so hard to win over will probably be lost in an instant. It would have been better if there had never been any talk of tax reduction in the first place."

"If we don't levy taxes on the common people, we naturally can't levy taxes on the powerful clans and gentry of Ji Province either."

"When Yuan Shao first arrived in Ji Province, he used the land left behind by a million migrants as an exchange, which earned him the support of Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Shen Pei, Cui Yan, and many other Ji Province gentry. Now, if we were to collect grain from the Ji Province gentry and powerful families..."

Xu You slowly shook his head.

Just now in the council hall, Tian Feng refuted Guo Tu with sharp words, which showed his great understanding of the greater good.

of course not.

How many members of the gentry truly care about the common people of the world?

Tian Fenghui?

Jushuhui?

Or is it the approval committee?

If that's really the case, where did their family's thousands of acres of fertile land come from? Where did the horses and beautiful maids kept in their luxurious mansions come from? Where did their fine clothes, delicacies, and silks come from?

Of course, it didn't just pop out of the classics.

If the common people pay taxes to the imperial court, they obviously won't have the money to pay their land rent.

For every acre of land, the imperial court takes one or two percent, but powerful clans and wealthy families take five or six percent.

If the money is given to the imperial court, it will be insufficient for the gentry. If the gentry forcibly levy taxes, the people will riot.

This is the essence of interests.

Guo Tu and others, of course, didn't care.

Of course, this does not mean that Guo Tu, Xun Chen, and the Xin brothers (Xin Pihe and Xin Ping) were good people.

Since their homes and businesses are all in Yingchuan, they are naturally not the ones who suffer from taxation.

On the contrary, Guo Tu was pleased to see Tian Feng and other local gentry from Ji Province suffer setbacks.

This is a factional struggle.

“Not to conquer…” Yuan Shao muttered to himself.

Before he could finish speaking, Xu You interrupted him: "If Benchu ​​does not launch a campaign... it will not be fair to the court. I'm afraid it won't be long before Benchu ​​is replaced. Even if he can retain the position of Governor of Ji Province, the court will definitely send someone else to take over the governorship."

"One more thing..."

Xu You looked at Yuan Shao, who had a troubled expression, and said softly, "Benchu ​​also doesn't want to be enemies with Ziyi, does he?"

Yuan Shao raised an eyebrow and unconsciously clenched his fist.

He then nodded slightly.

The reason why the imperial court requisitioned this million tons of grain is quite obvious.

Of course, it was intended as provisions for defending against Duan Yu.

Sending this million tons of grain would be tantamount to aiding the enemy.

Although Yuan Shao considered himself a subject of the Han dynasty, Duan Yu was also his close friend.

difficult.

The left is also in a dilemma.

The right leaf is in a dilemma.

"Sigh...is there not a way to have the best of both worlds?" Yuan Shao looked up at Xu You.

"It seems there really isn't one..." Xu You shook his head, expressing his helplessness.

...........

In the east of Ye City, a black carriage was slowly driving out of the East Market of Ye County.

Four guards dressed in black robes and with swords at their waists followed beside the carriage.

The warhorse was also entirely black, making it immediately clear that it was a fine steed capable of traveling a thousand miles.

The carriage moved very slowly, as if it were wandering aimlessly. After leaving the East Market, it headed towards the residential area leading to the east of the city.

Just as the carriage was moving, another luxurious carriage came from the opposite direction.

As the two carriages passed each other, Guo Tu, who was sitting in the carriage facing the black carriage, lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and glanced at it briefly. Then he let out a soft "hmm" and called for the carriage to stop.

"Mr. Yuan."

Guo Tu fully lifted the curtain of the carriage and called out.

Upon hearing Guo Tu's voice, Yuan Ji called for the carriage to stop from inside, and the black carriage came to a halt.

Wearing a white robe and a jade crown, Yuan Ji lifted the curtain of the carriage and saw Guo Tu.

"It's Mr. Guo," Yuan Ji greeted him with a humble smile.

Guo Tu quickly shook his head and said, "No, no, how could I dare to address you as 'sir' under the guise of Young Master Yuan? Young Master Yuan, this is..."

"Oh," Yuan Ji said with a smile, "Having nothing to do, I'm just strolling around the city. Mr. Guo, are you heading back to your residence?"

As he spoke, Yuan Ji glanced at a huge mansion not far away.

That was Yuan Shao's governor's residence.

"Mr. Guo, did you just come from Benchu's place?"

Guo Tu nodded as he listened to Yuan Ji's question.

"Indeed." Guo Tu cupped his hands and said, "Since Young Master Yuan has nothing to do, why don't you come to my residence for a short visit?"

"I've long heard that Young Master Yuan has come to Jizhou, but I've never met him. Today, I happen to have some free time, so how about I invite my three hundred and fifty friends for a get-together?"

Yuan Ji, sitting in the carriage, hesitated slightly before smiling and nodding in agreement.

“Alright.” Yuan Ji replied with a smile, “Since Mr. Guo has invited me, I will gladly accept.”

..............

Before long, Yuan Ji went to Guo Tu's residence.

Yuan Ji has been in Wei County for some time now, having come from Luoyang.

Guo Tu and others naturally learned of this news as well.

However, after arriving in Ye County, Yuan Ji rarely went out. Even though Guo Tu sent people to visit him several times with visiting cards, they were all turned away.

No one knew what the future patriarch of the Yuan family had come to Ye County for, or why he hadn't shown his face for so long.

"Young Master Yuan, please take a seat."

Guo Tu politely bowed to Yuan Ji.

Although Yuan Ji did not hold an official position at this time, as the future patriarch of the Runan Yuan clan and the successor of the next generation of the Yuan clan, Yuan Ji's weight was still evident.

Yuan Ji declined at first, but under Guo Tu's insistence, Yuan Ji still took the seat of honor.

Guo Tu, Xun Chen, and the Xin brothers, Xin Pi and Xin Ping, all took their seats on either side of the lower seats.

Before the banquet began, there was naturally some small talk, but the topics all revolved around Grand Tutor Yuan Kui's health and other matters, with no real substance to the conversation.

But as they talked, Guo Tu deliberately steered the conversation toward the imperial edict that had arrived that day.

"Gentlemen, do you agree with what I said? Tian Feng is only making excuses because he is worried that the Fang Bo will place the tax collection on them. This is clearly putting the Fang Bo in an unjust position."

Guo Tu said indignantly, "If the governor collects taxes from the people of Jizhou, he will surely lose their trust. But if he doesn't collect taxes, he will be disobeying the imperial edict. The best solution is for the Jizhou gentry to bear the cost of this million shi of grain. Only in this way can the governor be free from worry."

Xun Chen, Xin Pi, and Xin Ping all nodded in agreement.

Yuan Ji, sitting in the main seat, remained silent, his head bowed, but he kept everything in mind.

“Young Master Yuan,” Guo Tu turned to Yuan Ji, who was sitting in the main seat, and said, “You are Fang Bo’s cousin. Now is the time to persuade Fang Bo. If he is so indecisive, then… then when the court punishes him in the future, it will be Fang Bo who suffers. We are doing this for Fang Bo’s own good.”

"If the imperial court truly punishes him, or sends someone else to replace the governor..."

Yuan Ji smiled modestly and waved his hand.

“Mr. Guo, I am currently a commoner and not very clear about the affairs of the court. Yuan Shao will make the decision in detail.”

"Today we'll only talk about romance and not politics. Please forgive me, Mr. Guo."

"Sigh..." Guo Tu shook his head and sighed, then picked up his wine glass: "Never mind, let's not talk about it anymore. Young Master Yuan, please have a drink."

After three rounds of wine, the five flavors of food are over.

Yuan Ji then left Guo Tu's residence, citing illness.

Guo Tu also drank quite a bit, but after Yuan Ji left, Guo Tu, who seemed drunk, stared thoughtfully at Yuan Ji's departing figure with bright eyes.

"The Grand Tutor sent Yuan Ji to Ye County, but we don't know what he's here for. Yuan Ji has been here for so long, but he's kept to himself and never left the house. What is he up to?"

What is the significance of the Grand Tutor?

Guo Tu frowned as he pondered.

A moment later, Guo Tu narrowed his eyes and looked at Xun Chen, who was sitting not far away, and said, "You Ruo, you said that when the Grand Tutor sent Young Master Yuan here, did he foresee this day would come?"

"Fang Bo and Duan Yu are close friends. The court is collecting grain to deal with Duan Yu in Chang'an. Fang Bo is bound to die and has some concerns, which is why he cannot make a decision. If the Grand Tutor had foreseen this, would he have let Young Master Yuan replace Fang Bo?"

At this moment, only Guo Tu and Xun Chen remained in the hall.

Xin Pi and his brother Xin Ping had previously left because they couldn't hold their liquor.

Guo Tu was from the Guo clan of Yingyin, Yingchuan, and Xun Chen was from the Xun clan of Yingyin, Yingchuan. They were from the same hometown and fellow townsmen.

Although following Yuan Shao was partly due to their initial acquaintance in Luoyang, the vast majority of the reason was still due to the considerations of the Guo and Xun families.

At this time, Guo Jia, also from the Guo clan, was serving under Duan Yu in Chang'an, and Xun You, also from the Xun clan of Yingchuan, was also under Duan Yu.

The Xun clan also has its current patriarch, Xun Shuang, and the Guo clan's patriarch, Guo Hong, in the Luoyang court.

Following the Yuan family of Runan is nothing more than an investment.

After hearing Guo Tu's words, Xun Chen stroked his short beard and thought about it seriously for a moment before saying, "It's not impossible, but didn't Gongze just test the waters? Yuan Ji didn't make any statement."

...............

Outside Guo Tu's residence.

After getting drunk and boarding the carriage, Yuan Ji's eyes immediately regained their clarity.

Through the carriage window, I looked at the Guo Tu residence that was gradually falling behind me.

"Yuan Wu, how's the investigation going with the matter I asked you to investigate?" Yuan Ji asked in an extremely calm voice.

Yuan Wu, who was sitting in front of Yuan Ji's carriage and driving with a hideous scar on his face, stopped waving his whip and turned to the side to whisper, "We have some leads. According to some soldiers, the second young master wiped out the Zhen family's eldest branch because he met someone after leaving the city, but we don't know who that person was."

"At that time, only two generals, Yan Liang and Wen Chou, accompanied the Second Young Master."

"However, my subordinates have already tracked down the youngest son of the Zhen family's eldest branch who escaped from the city, and he is currently being sent to Ye County."

Yuan Ji, leaning against the carriage, nodded slightly, closed his eyes, and said, "We must be careful and discreet, and absolutely must not let anyone notice us."

"Also, send someone to keep an eye on Guo Tu and his men."

"Yes," Yuan Wu, who was driving the carriage, replied.

Guo Tu...

He knew perfectly well what Guo Tu was trying to do, based on what was said at the banquet.

However, this is not the time for him to make a statement.

He came to Jizhou not with any mysterious mission.

His uncle's order was for him to assist Yuan Shao.

He lives a secluded life, refusing to meet with anyone, which is a way of biding his time and waiting for an opportunity.

The Yuan family needed to survive and develop.

But Yuan Ji also needed to survive; he was unwilling to be a pawn, a mere foil for anyone, or a sacrifice for his family.

Since that's the case, then we need to make a plan!