Chapter 240 Yuan Shao rewards people based on their merits
Yuan Shao’s camp.

After two days of rest, Yuan Shu finally regained some of his former charm, as if all the suffering he had suffered in the past few days had been in vain.

Only Yuan Shao knew that Yuan Shu's changes began from the outside to the inside.

this day.

Yuan Shao once again held a banquet for Yuan Shu, and Yuan Shu attended without hesitation. Also attending the banquet was Shanyang County Magistrate Yuan Yi.

This is the first time the three brothers get together.

In the past, Yuan Shu would never even look at Yuan Yi, but now when they meet, Yuan Shu bows and calls him brother.

But Yuan Yi was stunned.

"Boye (Yuan's courtesy name)" Yuan Shao laughed happily: "I told you that the road is no longer the same as before. You didn't believe it at first, but you believe it now, right?"

Yuan Yi bowed to Yuan Shao and said, "What the leader said is very true. Yuan Gonglu is no longer Yuan Gonglu."

Seeing the two men flattering each other, Yuan Shu showed disdain on his face and said, "Yuan Gonglu is still Yuan Gonglu!"

Yuan Shao and Yuan Yi both had frozen expressions, and then burst into laughter.

Yuan Shao pointed at Yuan Shu and said, "What a great Yuan Gonglu!"

"I can't tell now whether you are telling the truth or lying."

Yuan Shu's expression was relaxed and controlled, and he said with a smile, "Whatever you say, it's what I will say."

This time, Yuan Yi didn't dare to say anything and picked up the wine bottle to hide his embarrassment.

He didn't expect that Yuan Shu was just putting on an act. This was too outrageous!

How could Yuan Yi know that the former Yuan Shu at least disdained fraud, not that he was incapable of it.

Having been immersed in the top aristocratic families since childhood, he has seen people like Yuan Shu and what kind of situations he has not encountered.
However, he has been the eldest son of the Yuan family since childhood. Apart from the gentle and refined eldest son Yuan Ji, he is the person with the highest status among the younger generation of the Yuan family. Why should he act according to other people's wishes?
It's different now.

He suffered a series of disastrous defeats at the hands of Jin Mao and Sun Jian, and he had to rely on the support of Yuan Shao and Yuan Yi to make a comeback.

All the hypocrisy that I used to disdain to pick up now has to be picked up again. It’s just acting, who can’t do it?

Therefore, Yuan Shao, the person who understood Yuan Shu best, prepared to implement the plan.

"Boye, Gonglu, the Yuan family can only rely on the three of us to keep the family going. We should help each other in the future."

Yuan Shu had been waiting for Yuan Shao to say this, and immediately said, "Don't worry, brother. From now on, I will follow your lead!"

As for Yuan Yi, he was just someone who made up the numbers.

Yuan Shao gave you face by calling you by your courtesy name, but if he didn't give you face, he would slap you in the face, and Yuan Yi had to endure it.

As for Yuan Shu's "brother", if Yuan Yi took it seriously, he would be a complete idiot.

Yuan Yi is certainly not an idiot, he knows this very well.

Therefore, seeing Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu forming an alliance face to face, Yuan Yi not only had to offer his most sincere congratulations, but also had to carry out Yuan Shao's previous instructions.

"From now on, the leader will govern the area north of the Yellow River, and the general will govern the area south of the Yellow River. I am willing to contribute a little to the Yuan family."

Yuan Shao was very satisfied with Yuan Yi's behavior and looked at Yuan Shu.

The latter said with embarrassment: "Brother, please forgive me. It's not that I don't want to help, but I really can't."

Yuan Shao knew this, and raised his wine jar nonchalantly, saying, "These are all trivial matters. Let me drink this jar to the full."

Yuan Shu and Yuan Yi held up the wine jar with both hands and drank it in one gulp.

"Don't worry, Gonglu, I'm going to make you the governor of Yanzhou, and Boye will help you."

"From now on, we brothers will help each other across the Yellow River and pacify the world together!"

Although Yuan Shao did not say it explicitly, everyone understood what he meant.

This is like taking Jizhou as something in one's pocket.

And Yuan Shao had a deeper meaning, he wanted to establish a new emperor!
However, Yuan Shu asked hesitantly: "Doesn't this matter need to be reported?"

Suddenly, Yuan Shao's face became long. Yuan Shu was still the same Yuan Shu. He was really talking about things that were not relevant.

So Yuan Shao went straight to the point and made the topic clear.

"I want to support Youzhou Mu Liu Yu as emperor!"

After saying this, Yuan Shao stared straight at Yuan Shu, whose expression was out of control and quite interesting.

Finally, Yuan Shu calmed down and bowed, "I will follow your lead, brother!"

Now he has nothing and can only follow Yuan Shao to the end.

As expected, Yuan Shao was overjoyed. He thought he had Yuan Shu under control, and he began to speak more and more presumptuously.

This was the best day for Yuan Shao since he escaped from Luoyang.

Even if the Guandong coalition forces were defeated, it wouldn’t be a big deal. As long as the overall situation is in the hands of Yuan Shao, everything will be fine!
...

The next day.

Yuan Shao summoned the princes to a meeting. Everyone knew that this might be the last meeting of the Guandong coalition, so they all came in their best attire.

Marquis of Qixiang and Prefect of Bohai Yuan Shao, General Yuan Shu, Prefect of Shanyang Yuan Yi, Cavalry Captain Cao Cao, Prefect of Henei Wang Kuang, Prefect of Chenliu Zhang Miao, Prefect of Dongjun Qiao Mao, Prefect of Beihai Kong Rong, Prefect of Shangdang Zhang Yang, Inspector of Xuzhou Tao Qian, and former Prefect of Guangling Zhang Chao.

It seems that there are still ten princes, but in fact, people like Yuan Shu, Wang Kuang, and Zhang Chao are not considered princes.

People like Cao Cao and Yuan Yi were all crippled and could only be counted as half-dead at most.

Therefore, the ten princes are actually only six princes at most.

"Everyone, all good things must come to an end."

Yuan Shao's first words set the tone for the entire meeting.

"You have all made great contributions in defeating Dong Zhuo. Today, I will not discuss anything else but reward you based on your merits!"

As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately caused quite a stir.

What a joke, we still have to reward people based on their merits after losing a battle?

Are you out of your mind?
Someone immediately stood up and shouted, "Yuan Shao! How can you reward someone who has no merit?"

When everyone looked closely, they found that the man was Zhang Miao, the prefect of Chenliu County.

Yuan Shao frowned and looked at Yuan Yi.

"Zhang Taishou has not accomplished anything, so shouldn't we who shed blood and tears be rewarded?"

Zhang Miao bowed to Yuan Yi. Everyone saw what Yuan Yi did, so Zhang Miao had to respect him.

"Shanyang County Magistrate, I admire you for what you do."

Zhang Miao first praised it, then changed the subject and said, "But! Merit is merit! Fault is fault! How can they be confused?"

Yuan Yi refused to give in, raised his fist to the sky and said, "May I ask this Chenliu prefect, the Jibei Xiang Bao Xin and Yanzhou Governor Liu Dai, who served the country loyally, don't they have any merit at all?"

As the saying goes, the dead are the greatest. Bao Xin and Liu Dai said this out of loyalty to the greater cause, and Zhang Miao had no way to refute it.

After all, Zhang Miao himself had not accomplished anything.

but!

Kong Rong stood up, bowed and said, "The dead are gone. Why should the governor of Shanyang make a fuss about the dead?"

"We are discussing matters concerning the living, not the dead!"

Kong Rong was not like Zhang Miao. He enjoyed a good reputation among scholars, and even Yuan Shao had to show him courtesy.

But now Yuan Shao still has a trump card in his hand. He looked at Yuan Shu, who stood up and immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"Everyone, Yuan Shu is not talented, so I dare to show my ugliness."

Seeing the polite Yuan Shu, even Kong Rong had to be courteous, step back and give up the stage.

"There is one thing I don't understand, please teach me."

Yuan Shu put himself in a low position at the beginning, saying: "Now the coalition forces have no reputation and no strength!"

"Even if it's me." Yuan Shu laughed at himself and said, "I only have the title of rear general, but I only have two or three kittens under my command."

"I don't want to complain or anything, I just want to tell you a truth."

"Without troops, how can you defeat Dong Zhuo?" "Without a name, where will the troops come from?"

These few words are truly thought-provoking.

Everyone present was shocked.

Yuan Shao saw that the time was not right, so he stepped out to smooth things over, saying, "Today's incident is also my fault for not informing you all."

"How about this, today I will just inform you all, and we will decide on your merits and rewards tomorrow."

"It's all gone."

The meeting ended in this very unsatisfactory way. All the princes knew that Yuan Shao would not give up until he achieved his goal, so they each made their own plans.

Kong Rong, Zhang Miao, Zhang Chao, Zhang Yang, Qiao Mao, Wang Kuang and Tao Qian left together.

Only four people were left on the field: Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Yuan Yi and Cao Cao.

"These empty talkers deserve to die!"

With no outsiders around, Yuan Shao finally vented his anger and threw the wine jar to the ground.

Cao Cao promptly added: "Empty talk will ruin the country."

Seeing that Cao Cao had something to say but didn't say it, Yuan Yi and Yuan Shu knew that this was a confidential matter that he wanted to talk to Yuan Shao alone, so they took the initiative to say goodbye and leave.

Anyway, the three of them have already discussed everything they needed to discuss, so there is no need to stay and become a nuisance.

When there were only two people left in the tent, Cao Cao couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Yuan Shao was furious, and before Cao Cao could say anything, he spoke first, "Zhang Miao is really hateful!"

"Meng De, find an opportunity and help me get rid of him!"

This really disrupted Cao Cao's plan.

The relationship between Cao Cao and Zhang Miao was extremely good, only slightly worse than that between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.

Asking Cao Cao to kill Zhang Miao would be as painful as killing Yuan Shao.

"Alliance leader, even if Meng Zhuo has no merit, he has worked hard."

"What's more, killing him now would be a major blow to your reputation."

Yuan Shao turned his head to look at Cao Cao and said with a smile: "Meng De is right. Let's wait until the coalition army is disbanded next year before killing him!"

Cao Cao remained calm. As long as they could pass this hurdle, no one could predict what would happen next.

Of course, Cao Cao also knew that Yuan Shao was giving him face, otherwise, he would not be so easy to talk to.

Seeing that Cao Cao had not left yet, Yuan Shao pretended to be ignorant and asked, "What else does Meng De want?"

"The Yellow Turbans are wreaking havoc in Qingzhou. I request to go to Qingzhou to quell the rebellion after the coalition forces have finished fighting against Dong."

Cao Cao said righteously: "I, Cao Cao, will never stop conquering until the world is at peace!"

Yuan Shao immediately understood that he was asking for an official position.

When Yuan Shao thought that Yanzhou still needed Cao Cao's help, he wanted to agree.

But Yuan Shao, who knew Cao Cao's temperament, suddenly realized that things might not be that simple, so he looked at Cao Cao with a smile and said, "This is easy."

"Tomorrow at the meeting I will nominate you as the Prime Minister of Jinan, and you will take charge of Qingzhou affairs."

Cao Cao had held this position before, but this time he had the added right to lead on behalf of others.

Cao Cao knew that Yuan Shao had seen through his little trick, so he stopped pretending and said, "Qingzhou was not my original intention."

Cao Cao suppressed his smile and said seriously: "Dongjun is it!"

Yuan Shao frowned, not understanding what Cao Cao meant.

Cao Cao stood up, drew his sword, drew a simple map on the ground, pointed at it and said: "I am willing to be your shield and protect the safety of southeastern Jizhou."

Yuan Shao knew what Cao Cao meant without having to stand up, and a map automatically appeared in his mind.

However, Yuan Shao did not rush to speak or express his attitude.

Cao Cao knew that the next words were crucial.

"I guess the leader should let Yuan Shu be the governor of Yanzhou to protect your southern part."

Cao Cao then pointed the tip of his sword at Shanyang County and said, "You believe that the governor of Shanyang County will not betray you, and this is understandable."

"This used to work for Yuan Shu, but it doesn't work now!"

Cao Cao sheathed his sword and said, "Yuan Shu is like a sharp sword sheathed. It's not that the sword is not sharp enough, but he has to choose the right time to unsheathe the sword!"

"By then, it will be too late for you to regret."

Yuan Shao remained silent, neither opposing nor supporting.

Just as Yuan Shao knew Cao Cao well enough, Cao Cao also knew Yuan Shao well enough to know that he was still wary of Yuan Shu in his heart.

So Cao Cao used this to make a big fuss: "It would be different if I were your shield."

"I now have only a few remaining soldiers under my command. If I don't rely on you, there will be no place for me in the world."

"And I have no actual conflict with you..."

"That's enough!" Yuan Shao suddenly said angrily, "I'm tired, please leave."

Cao Cao was secretly delighted, and Yuan Shao was shaken, as the matter was already half done.

The next day.

The meeting was held as scheduled.

But the number of participants was once again reduced by half.

Zhang Miao, Zhang Chao, Kong Rong, Wang Kuang and Tao Qian started packing their things to go home yesterday and set off early this morning.

Only Zhang Yang, the governor of Shangdang County, participated again.

Zhang Yang was originally a subordinate of the former general He Jin. After He Jin's death, he defected to Yuan Shao. It was Yuan Shao who got him the post of Shangdang prefect through his connections.

Therefore, Zhang Yang was actually an undercover agent sent by Yuan Shao.

After Zhang Miao and others left yesterday, they held another small meeting, which was nothing more than everyone helping each other, and by the way, they scolded Yuan Shao again.

Yuan Shao was already very angry, and now he was even more furious.

As soon as the meeting began, Yuan Shao skipped the step of conferring honorary titles and began to divide territories among everyone present.

"Road, Henei County is rich, and Wang Kuang has suffered heavy losses. You only need to recall one or two generals, and Henei County will be within your grasp!"

The person Yuan Shao hated the most was none other than Wang Kuang. This guy had relied on Yuan Shao to rise to power, and he was his younger brother.

Now I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I’ve gotten involved with Zhang Miao.

Yuan Shao must kill this man!
"Zhang Miao is no less capable than me."

Yuan Shao looked at Cao Cao and said, "Meng De, Chenliu is in your hands."

Yuan Shao was persuaded by Cao Cao yesterday, but when he thought of that bastard Zhang Miao, Yuan Shao wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.

Besides, Chenliu is not far from Jizhou, so support can be provided at any time.

Cao Cao stepped out of the line and clasped his fists, saying, "Leader, what should we do about Qiao Mao?"

The governor of Dongjun, Qiao Mao, had his troops fully staffed without any loss, and he was at odds with Yuan Shao.

By then, it would be fun to see Qiao Mao form an alliance with Han Fu and stab Yuan Shao in the back.

Yuan Shao immediately thought of this and frowned and asked, "What do you think?"

Cao Cao sneered and said, "Why not borrow Zhang Miao's power to get rid of Qiao Mao first, and then get rid of Zhang Miao when the time is right!"

Yuan Shao nodded, indicating his agreement.

Cao Cao was ecstatic.

Finally, Yuan Shao looked at Yuan Yi and said, "Bo Ye will concurrently serve as governor of Yuzhou. Don't worry about Sun Jian for now. Wait until the time is right before taking action."

As for Zhang Yang, Yuan Shao’s greatest expectation was that he would serve as the governor of Shangdang County.

(End of this chapter)