Chapter 205: A tree that stands out in the forest will be blown away by the wind

The news that Yangzhou Mu Jinmao defeated the Jingzhou coalition forces spread at an extremely fast speed, and all parties were in action.

When Xuzhou Governor Tao Qian heard the news, he was so shocked that he could not sleep. He immediately called Yanzhou Governor Liu Dai, Yuzhou Governor Kong Rong, and Chenliu County Magistrate Zhang Miao and asked them to help drive away the Yellow Turbans in Xuzhou.

Because if we don’t take action now, by the time Jinmao recovers, the next unlucky person might be Xuzhou!

The second person who was uneasy was Liu Yan, the governor of Yizhou.

Once Jinmao completely digests Jingzhou, Yizhou, with its large population and lax military preparations, will become a piece of fat meat on someone's lips, and they can eat it whenever they want.

Therefore, Liu Yan, who had just secured his position as Governor of Yizhou, no longer dared to sit back and relax, and he recruited soldiers and horses in order to protect himself.

When Yuan Shao, the governor of Bohai, heard the news, he was very worried and called a meeting.

At this time, four counselors, Guo Tu, Shen Pei, Xu You and Feng Ji, had already joined Yuan Shao.

Xu You had followed Yuan Shao since he was in Luoyang. He had the longest seniority and was also the most unbridled. He was the most relaxed among all the people present.

"The Governor of Yangzhou is doing evil things. What can you teach me?" Yuan Shao went straight to the point.

The princes were about to attack Dong Zhuo, but unexpectedly, something big happened in the south. First, Zhang Chao, the governor of Guangling County, was deposed, and then the coalition forces of Jingzhou were defeated.

Seeing Jinmao growing bigger and bigger, Yuan Shao felt uneasy.

After much difficulty in supporting the young emperor to ascend the throne, he was eventually taken advantage of by Dong Zhuo.

He finally summoned the eighteen princes to fight against Dong Zhuo, but Jin Mao immediately deposed two of them.

Later, General Yuan Shu was also frightened and paid a huge price to escape back to Nanyang County.

Zhang Miao, the prefect of Chenliu County, Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou, and Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, were also in a semi-invalid state.

By this calculation, six princes were crippled and disabled by Jin Mao, and their strength was reduced by one third.

Not complete yet!

Sun Jian, the governor of Changjiang County who is currently stirring up trouble in Nanyang County, is also an ally of Jin Mao.

There are only eleven routes left out of eighteen!
Seeing that the plan to defeat Dong Zhuo was about to become a joke, there was no point in Yuan Shao being anxious.

Bohai County was in the northernmost Youzhou, and Yangzhou was in the south, with Qing, Yan, Yu, and Xu provinces in between.

Facing Yuan Shao's questions, the four people had different expressions.

Xu You narrowed his eyes, as if thinking.

Guo Tu's eyes rolled around, as if he was observing everyone.

Feng Ji stroked his beard and closed his eyes, as if he had already made a plan.

Only Shen Pei was the first to jump out and suggest: "My lord, don't give up eating because of choking."

"Dong Zhuo is our greatest threat. If we don't get rid of him, there will be no peace in the world!"

Seeing Yuan Shao frown, Guo Tu immediately jumped out to object, "Shen Zhengnan! Did you accept bribes from Jin Mao to speak for the traitor?"

"There are only about 600,000 households in the entire territory of Yangzhou, but there are over a million households in Jingzhou!"

"If we wait until Jinmao occupies Jingzhou, we can advance directly to Luoyang, or retreat to the Yangtze River and Huai River to defend."

"By then, what would Dong Zhuo be?"

Guo Tu said sternly: "Do we have to wait until Jin Mao leads 200,000 elite soldiers to sweep across the world before we repent?"

While speaking, Guo Tu had been observing Yuan Shao's expression out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that Yuan Shao's brows relaxed, Guo Tu was secretly pleased.

Shen Pei couldn't stand Guo Tu's mean attitude and retorted: "The governor of Yangzhou was appointed by the late emperor's will and is loyal to the Han Dynasty. As long as we welcome the emperor back, we can order him to retire with a decree."

"Why go to such great lengths to find something near?"

"What a joke!" Guo Tu retorted on the spot: "If Jin Mao was really a loyal minister, he should not have invaded Jingzhou, but should have come north to help us welcome back the emperor!"

"All signs indicate that Jin Mao is just the second Dong Zhuo, and is truly a disloyal and unrighteous person!"

Shen Pei wanted to argue further.

"enough!"

Yuan Shao stopped the two from arguing, looked at Xu You and asked, "What do you think, Ziyuan?"

"Ah?" Xu You seemed to have just woken up. He wiped the corners of his eyes and yawned.

Yuan Shao waited patiently, which made Guo Tu extremely jealous.

"My lord, if you want to conquer the governor of Yangzhou, that will only make Dong Zhuo more powerful."

Xu You was not like the others who offered suggestions in a proper manner. Instead, he stood up and acted as if he was giving instructions on how to deal with the country.

"I heard that Cao Aman also went to Jingzhou, but was beaten like a stray dog. He returned to Chenliu with only a thousand cavalrymen, and all his generals were captured."

"Let's not talk about other things, Cao Aman is no match for a loser like Yuan Shu in terms of military affairs. Only you can barely beat him."

When Yuan Shao heard Xu You's words belittling Yuan Shu and flattering him, he did not show it on his face but was secretly happy in his heart.

Seeing this, Guo Tu was so jealous that he was terribly jealous. He was not afraid of anyone except Xu You and Xu Ziyuan.

Xu You seemed not to notice Guo Tu and continued, "Even Cao Aman was beaten so badly that he had no power to fight back."

"If you want to conquer the governor of Yangzhou, it will definitely be a long and drawn-out war."

Yuan Shao nodded in agreement. The people here never thought about whether they could win or not. They all thought that Jin Mao was just so-so.

"Yangzhou Mu's troops are few but elite, while Dong Zhuo's troops are many but disorganized."

Xu You concluded: "In my opinion, my lord, it would be better for you to win over the governor of Yangzhou and fight against Dong together."

"If the governor of Yangzhou disobeys, he will be admitting that he is just seeking fame and reputation."

"If the Yangzhou governor complies."

"We will attack Dong Zhuo from the north, and the governor of Yangzhou will attack Dong Zhuo from the south."

"If the head and tail cannot take care of each other, Dong Zhuo will surely be defeated!"

Yuan Shao was very pleased and praised: "Ziyuan is as insightful as ever!"

Then he raised a new question: "But what position should we invite the governor of Yangzhou to?"

Xu You smiled strangely and said, "How about asking the governor of Yangzhou to be the leader of the alliance to fight against Dong?"

Yuan Shao's face turned red with anger, but then he calmed down.

Seeing this, Guo Tu immediately suppressed his urge to attack.

"Ziyuan's brilliant plan!"

Soon Yuan Shao figured everything out.

This is a move of flattery and killing. If Jinmao dares to accept it, then the other princes will let him know how powerful he is.

If you don't dare to answer, then you have to obey.

No matter how you look at it, this is a trap.

"Then do it!"

...

Luoyang.

When Dong Zhuo got the news, he almost smiled crookedly.

Unexpectedly, a small General Annan could achieve such great results.

In Dong Zhuo's view, the South had been devastated by Jin Mao and could not organize a strong counterattack.

Now as long as they can appease Jin Mao, the biggest warlord, the eighteen princes are all in disarray, so Dong Zhuo doesn't need to worry about them at all.

However, Dong Zhuo's son-in-law and chief strategist Li Ru did not think so.

"My lord, we cannot let the governor of Yangzhou become too powerful. We must take measures to reduce his power!"

"Oh?" Dong Zhuo asked with interest, "What do you think?"

Even though Li Ru became Dong Zhuo's son-in-law, he always maintained respect and never failed in etiquette.

"My lord, have you forgotten that the governor of Yangzhou sent troops in the name of clearing the court of corrupt officials?"

"To purge the court of emperors, doesn't that mean to purge us?"

Only then did Dong Zhuo realize the seriousness of the problem.

"Wenyou, what can we do?"

Li Ru suggested: "We should divide them."

Dong Zhuo said in embarrassment: "I want to, but there is no one available."

"I appointed Yuan Shu as the rear general, but this bastard took the reward and did nothing. He deserves death!"

"Changsha County Governor Sun Jian is a big shot, but he and Yangzhou Governor are brothers from the same school."

"I once made an alliance with Sun Jian, but this guy refused to change his mind and only wanted to attack me." "Humph!" Dong Zhuo was very dissatisfied: "Sun Jian should be killed!"

Dong Zhuo then said in distress: "But apart from these few people, no one can compete with the governor of Yangzhou."

Li Ru clasped his fists and said, "My lord, you misunderstood."

"You only need to send a scholar to Jingzhou to connect with the local nobles."

"By then, it will be extremely difficult for Yangzhou Mu to control Jingzhou!"

"Hmph! Aristocratic families!" Dong Zhuo wanted to get angry when he heard this word. They were all the kind of people who would destroy the bridge after crossing it.

"What Wenyou said is correct."

Dong Zhuo believed that Jin Mao would also be difficult to deal with since he had such a hard time dealing with the nobles.

"Who can take on this important task?"

Li Ru uttered a name: "Councilor Liu Biao."

"Liu Biao?"

Dong Zhuo said disdainfully: "What virtue and ability do you have to sit here and have a discussion with?"

"Just because of his royal family status?"

"The governor of Yangzhou is a descendant of the royal family. Didn't the nobles of Jingzhou give him no respect?"

Seeing this, Li Ru became more certain and said, "Even the lord doesn't think highly of Liu Biao, so the governor of Yangzhou must despise him."

"My lord, think about it. If we send a man of both ability and virtue to Jingzhou, wouldn't the governor of Yangzhou drive him away immediately?"

Having said that.

Dong Zhuo hesitated and asked, "Does Liu Biao really have the ability to unite the noble families of Jingzhou?"

Li Ru clasped his fists and said, "My Lord, I'm not sure, but why not give it a try?"

"Even if Liu Biao fails, we won't lose much."

"At that time, it won't be too late to reward and appease the governor of Yangzhou."

But if it succeeds, Liu Biao will stop Jin Mao from moving north, and Dong Zhuo will make a fortune.

Dong Zhuo thought it made sense, so he asked Li Ru to draft an edict, appointing Liu Biao as the governor of Jingzhou.

The former governor of Jingzhou, Wang Rui, was dismissed.

...

royal palace.

When the young emperor Liu Xie saw the imperial edict appointing Liu Biao, he realized that something big had happened in Jingzhou.

These days, Dong Zhuo kept an even stricter watch on Liu Xie, not even allowing him to know any news from the outside world.

Liu Xie did not dare to follow the edict drafted by Dong Zhuo.

However, Liu Xie was very smart and took the opportunity to summon Sikong Huang Wan and Liu Biao to the palace for an audience.

"Huang Wan (Liu Biao) pays homage to Your Majesty!"

"My dear, please get up."

Although Liu Xie was young, he possessed extraordinary intelligence. He knew very well that Dong Zhuo was not a good minister and he only wanted to get Jin Mao's support.

"I heard that the Grand Commandant wanted to appoint Liu Biao as the governor of Jingzhou. Could you please tell me what happened in Jingzhou?"

Huang Wan was an absolutely loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. Otherwise, he would not have given up his great foundation in Yuzhou and returned to Luoyang to become a powerless and worthless Sikong just because of a decree from Dong Zhuo.

Hearing the young emperor's words, Huang Wan couldn't help but burst into tears: "Your Majesty, you have suffered a lot!"

"No problem, no problem." Liu Xie waved his hands repeatedly and said, "My dear, can you tell me what happened outside? Did the governor of Yangzhou take any action?"

Hearing this, Huang Wan felt even more heartbroken.

The evil Dong Zhuo, as an emperor he couldn’t even know what was happening in the outside world. Can he still be called an emperor?
"Your Majesty, the governor of Yangzhou defeated the coalition forces of Jingzhou a month ago and has now occupied the five counties of Jingzhou: Jiangxia, Wuling, Lingling, Changsha, and Guiyang."

Huang Wan reported truthfully: "We are now heading towards Nanjun and Nanyangjun."

There was a leap twelfth month in 189 AD, and now is the tenth day of the leap twelfth month.

"Great!"

Liu Xie cheered.

Nanyang County is only separated from Luoyang by a mountain, and the straight-line distance is less than 200 kilometers.

For Jin Mao, who is good at mountain warfare, it would only take a few days for him to lead his army to reach this distance.

Liu Xie even began to imagine what a wonderful life he would live after Jin Mao replaced Dong Zhuo.

Unexpectedly, Liu Biao said inappropriately: "Your Majesty, the governor of Yangzhou has great ambitions. You must not be deceived by his appearance!"

"You bullshit!"

Liu Xie was like a cat whose tail was stepped on, and he was furious: "The governor of Yangzhou is the minister appointed by the late emperor. How dare you slander him!?"

Liu Biao said calmly: "Your Majesty has seen the late emperor's will with your own eyes. Your Majesty knows best whether it appoints the governor of Yangzhou as a minister of state."

"伱!"

Liu Xie stretched out his little hand, trembling with anger.

"You are unworthy of being a member of the royal family!"

Even Huang Wan couldn't bear to watch it anymore.

It's okay for you, Liu Biao, to show off in front of Dong Zhuo.

But what does it mean to use the little emperor as a stepping stone?
"Liu Jingsheng!"

Huang Wan did not dare to go too far because of Liu Biao's reputation as one of the Eight Talents: "If you have nothing else to do, please leave."

Liu Biao bowed, thanked him, and left without looking back.

The young emperor Liu Xie cried in anger, and he grabbed Huang Wan's hand and asked, "My dear, do you think the governor of Yangzhou is really that kind of person?"

Really speaking, Huang Wan wanted to say yes.

Liu Biao’s attitude was indeed bad, but what he said was true.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that in the eyes of the Yangzhou governor, the little emperor was at most second, or possibly third or fourth.

How could such a person be a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty?
But Jinmao, the shepherd of Yangzhou, became the white moonlight in the little emperor's heart.

Huang Wan didn't want the young emperor to think that there were no loyal ministers in the world.

"Your Majesty, as long as you believe that the governor of Yangzhou is a loyal minister, then he is a loyal minister!"

The young emperor Liu Xie did not care whether this specious statement was true or not, and felt relieved: "As long as the governor of Yangzhou remains a loyal minister, the world can still be saved."

When his emotions calmed down, Liu Xie began to ask Huang Wan questions again: "How did the governor of Yangzhou fight? And who did he fight against?"

Huang Wan answered truthfully.

Liu Xie gnashed his teeth and said, "Why do these people who claim to be loyal ministers want to go against the governor of Yangzhou?"

Huang Wan felt like explaining: "Don't misunderstand, Your Majesty. Everyone has a different way of being loyal."

"But please believe me, there are still many loyal ministers in this world!"

Liu Xie pulled Huang Wan and said sensibly, "I believe it!"

"My dear minister, you are the most loyal minister in the world!"

Huang Wan was inexplicably moved and wanted to say something else.

Li Ru, who had received Liu Biao's report, rushed into the palace and said coldly, "Your Majesty needs to rest."

Liu Xie looked at Huang Wan pitifully, and the latter was extremely angry: "A mere doctor dares to teach His Majesty how to do things!?"

"Sikong, you can tell the Taiwei what you want to say." Li Ru said calmly, "I am just a small doctor, just following orders."

"You!" Huang Wan was speechless. It was absolutely impossible for him to confront Dong Zhuo head-on.

Turning back, Huang Wan comforted Liu Xie and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured that the world will not always be in the hands of treacherous people!"

Liu Xie returned to his bedroom reluctantly.

Huang Wan left in anger, and secretly decided in his heart: "I will unite loyal and righteous people to help Your Majesty solve his problems."

In an instant, Huang Wan had more than a dozen candidates in his mind.

From the beginning to the end, Huang Wan never thought of joining forces with Jinmao to threaten Dong Zhuo.

In his eyes, Jin Mao and Dong Zhuo were birds of a feather, and it would not be a good thing for anyone to come to Luoyang.

(End of this chapter)