Chapter 288: Lian Dong vs. Yuan
Sun Ce has been very troubled recently.

Seeing that Gan Ning, the super newcomer, has climbed to the top, Liu Bei and Guan Yu acknowledged their master as soon as they came back and were appointed as captains of the main battalion.

And he was merely promoted from Qujun Hou to Sima.

Although Sima was already very powerful at the age of eighteen, at least much more powerful than Sun Jian at the beginning, just look at Zhou Yu and you will know what it means to be frustrated by comparing yourself with others!

At such a young age, he has become a captain of a main battalion. Even though the battalion has been defeated, its spirit is still there.

Every soldier who enters a battalion holds his head higher than anyone else. When he looks at the veteran soldiers in the battalion, even the bodyguards have to bow their heads and praise them.

Sun Ce didn't know about Gan Ning's boasting to Liu Bei, but anyone with a discerning eye could see that the position of captain of a battalion was reserved for Zhou Yu.

Only Liu Bei had illusions.

However, Sun Ce was even more miserable than Liu Bei.

On the one hand, Liu Bei was eloquent.

As the saying goes, the crying child gets the milk, but Sun Ce is not that kind of person.

On the other hand, Jin Mao has many brave generals under his command, and it seems that he is not lacking in Sun Ce's personal bravery?

In addition, Sun Ce did not hand over the imperial seal immediately, which led to the current embarrassing situation.

It was not that Sun Ce changed his mind and did not want to hand it over, but in order to prevent it from being lost, he handed the seal to his mother, Madam Wu.

When he returned to Jiangling County this time, Sun Ce made up his mind that he must offer the imperial seal.

It's March.

Except for the main forces of the first, second and fourth battalions, a total of 30,000 troops remained in Yizhou, and the remaining nearly 70,000 people all returned to Jingzhou.

Even if the Huaihe River Navy wanted to go to Guangling County, they had to pass through Jingzhou.

Jiangling County is bustling again.

Unlike last time, this time the laughter was obviously louder, and people were talking about the war in Yizhou everywhere.

The court was unaware of what had happened, and issued an edict to appoint Jin Mao as General Zhennan, confer the title of Marquis Wushang, and grant him the authority to hold a government office and to grant him an axe.

In response to this, Jin Mao directly submitted a memorial to appoint Zhou Yu, Gu Yong, Xi Zhicai and He Qi as the governors of Yizhou, Jingzhou, Yangzhou and Jiaozhou respectively, and another 29 county magistrates.

This was the first strategic step proposed by Xun Yu after returning to Jingzhou.

First, he recognized Liu Xie's throne and the legitimacy of the Han Dynasty. Secondly, he removed Liu Yao from the post of governor of Yangzhou, as well as Liu Biao and Liu Yan from the positions of governor of Jingzhou and governor of Yizhou.

Fundamentally disintegrate all ambitious people south of the Yangtze River who want to get a piece of the pie.

As long as Dong Zhuo is alive, it will not apply to him using the emperor to control the princes.

Even if the emperor was welcomed back, in addition to the previous problems, Dong Zhuo's influence had to be eliminated.

After all, Liu Xie was supported by Dong Zhuo to take the throne, and no matter how powerful Jin Mao was, he could not get around this critical issue.

On the other hand, this also forced Dong Zhuo to respond.

If you don't agree, you will be attacked by an army of one hundred thousand!

As for Wang Yun and others, Xun Yu did not think they could defeat Dong Zhuo unless something unexpected happened.

"My Lord." Xun Yu rushed back to Jiangling County from Luyang. His primary purpose was to explain his own ideas: "Now there is only one voice in Jiangnan. We just need to work hard for five years, and there will be no more unrest in the world."

Indeed, according to the previous development speed, it will only take two years for Jinmao to have another 100,000 to 150,000 troops.

After another two or three years of training, in five years, the number of elite armored troops will reach a terrifying 100,000!
Even if the cavalry is scarce, what does it mean to have 300,000 infantry, including 100,000 well-equipped elite soldiers?
This is equivalent to the battle against Dong Zhuo, when the main force under Jin Mao will reach a size of 100,000 people.

By then, anyone who dares to disobey, such as Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, and Cao Cao, will be crushed to pieces!
Even if three people join forces, we are not afraid.

The only worry is that if all the warlords unite and develop steadily for five years, Jinmao will really be unable to defeat these people.

However, that was impossible. If the princes were so united, it would have been impossible for the eighteen princes to fight against Dong Zhuo and end up in vain.

What's more, Xun Yu had already thought of this.

In order to prevent the above situation from occurring, Xun Yu proposed the strategy of "uniting with Dong to resist Yuan".

To put it simply, it means to make friends with Dong Zhuo and hinder Yuan Shao's development.

Judging from the three forces, Yuan Shao is only weak at the moment, but in fact Dong Zhuo is the weakest one.

With loyal ministers like Wang Yun causing trouble internally and Jin Mao and Yuan Shao eyeing him covetously from outside, the situation was difficult.

On the other hand, Yuan Shao, Liu Yu, Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, Yuan Yi and other princes were all his allies, and only the ignorant Gongsun Zan was his enemy.

Once Gongsun Zan was destroyed, the population of Jizhou, Youzhou, Qingzhou, Xuzhou and Yuzhou would still be the largest in the Central Plains even after several riots.

Over 15 million people!
Jinmao occupied four states with a population of just over 10 million. Of course, this does not include the number of Di and Qiang people living on the borders of Nanyang County, Nan County and Yizhou.

Dong Zhuo suffered the most. Liangzhou and Bingzhou had been frontier provinces since ancient times. The population of one province was less than one million, and the two provinces combined might have less than one and a half million people.

Even though the population of the Sili region was relatively good, without the population of the Luoyang region, the population plus the two states would be less than four million.

Whether in terms of surface strength or potential, Dong Zhuo is the weakest. If Yuan Shao can unify the north, he will be the strongest in the short term.

Jin Mao is the strongest at present, and will be stronger than Yuan Shao in five years. If Yuan Shao unifies the north within five years, he will be stronger than Jin Mao in the short term.

Therefore, as long as Yuan Shao cannot unify the country in the next five years, Jinmao will have enough time to develop.

In order to prevent Yuan Shao from joining forces with Dong Zhuo to attack Jin Mao, Xun Yu proposed another strategy: "Form an alliance with Gongsun Zan, or even with Cao Cao, Han Sui, and Ma Teng."

"As long as Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shao's rear is unstable, it will be a success!"

In other words, on the surface he wanted to unite with Dong Zhuo to resist Yuan Shao, but secretly he was hindering him in various ways.

There is only one ultimate goal: to dominate the market!
"But," Jin Mao said hesitantly, "What we can think of, can't Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shao think of it?"

"What if Yuan Shao and Dong Zhuo form an alliance now?"

"No!" Xun Yu said firmly: "My lord, don't worry about this. Yuan Shao will never form an alliance with Dong Zhuo."

"If Yuan Shao forms an alliance with Dong Zhuo, it will be a good thing for us!"

"Why?"

Xun Yu explained: "Dong Zhuo killed the entire families of Yuan Wei and Yuan Ji, and exterminated their three clans. This led to a deep hatred between Yuan Shao and Dong Zhuo."

"If Yuan Shao doesn't mind and makes a stupid mistake, then Yuan Shu will definitely turn against Yuan Shao."

"The Yuan family of Runan will not support it, and the scholars of the world will not agree with it!"

Jinmao understood a little bit.

To put it bluntly, filial piety is the foundation of this era, especially Yuan Shao, who was famous for his filial piety when he was in Yangwang period.

If you can remain indifferent to the death of your elders or eldest brother in your family, it would be tantamount to destroying your own Great Wall.

"That's not right!" Jin Mao came to his senses: "I am also an emperor. If I form an alliance with Dong Zhuo, what would that mean?"

Wouldn't that be telling everyone in the world that Jin Mao is an extremely hypocritical hypocrite who says one thing and does another. Who would dare to work for him in the future?
Xun Yu bowed and said, "My lord has always been a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, not loyal to Dong Zhuo!"

"Aren't you submitting a memorial to the emperor this time, not Dong Zhuo?"

So that's how it is, there is such a thing as micro-management.

To put it simply, Jin Mao only obeyed the emperor's edict, regardless of whether it was drafted by Dong Zhuo or not. Only the edict could make him obedient.

Of course, you can ignore the imperial edict that is not in your interests.

"So how do we alienate them?"

Xun Yu said: "My lord, you can send a few trusted people who are not afraid of death to serve as officials in Chang'an."

"From now on, they will be your eyes, ears, and mouth. Everything they say and do will represent your opinion."

Jin Mao nodded, just like a later diplomatic ambassador, who could not only obtain information in a timely manner, but also issue a statement. "Who do you think can take on this important task?"

"Liu Ping, Yu Fan."

Jin Mao was very surprised: "I thought you would recommend a scholar to me."

Xun Yu smiled and did not answer, but said, "That also requires your trust."

Xun Yu did know a few scholars with great character, but what could he do if Jin Mao didn't trust him?

Our lord trusts those he trusts very much, and doesn’t trust those he doesn’t trust at all!
Even if you talk big, what's the use?

Jin Mao thought of his father-in-law: "How are my fathers-in-law?"

Tang Mao and Feng Fang both served as officials in Beijing, so they are also good candidates for the diplomatic mission.

Xun Yu bowed and said: "They are afraid of death!"

Jin Mao was speechless for a moment. There was nothing wrong with what he said.

Especially now, after he has become rich, who would take risks?
So what even if they are the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers.

To be honest, if Jin Mao ascends the throne in the future, as a relative by marriage, wouldn't it be easy for him to get this official position?

"But Liu Ping and Yu Fan have never been to the imperial court. Can they really handle it?"

Xun Yu bowed again and said, "Then I will go on the mission on behalf of my lord."

"Stop!" Jin Mao Duan Ran refused: "Don't say that again."

What a joke, I finally got her, and you let her go like this.

Putting aside Xun Yu's abilities in all aspects, just talking about his inner feelings, it is impossible to accept it.

It’s like a goddess you’ve been pursuing for years. You just got her not long ago and you haven’t even slept with her enough. How can you let her go so easily?
At least you have to be fed up before you consider this matter.

"It would be better to let Tang Mao, Feng Fang, and Liu Ping go."

Jin Mao thought he was smart and said, "My two fathers-in-law are experienced enough, and Liu Ping is smart enough, so they are a perfect match!"

Xun Yu bowed calmly and said, "My lord, you are wise."

Jin Mao pointed at Xun Yu and understood that this was what Xun Yu really meant.

These people are all related to Jinmao. If Xun Yu says too much, he will be suspected of interfering in Jinmao's internal affairs.

But, it’s different if you guide Jinmao to say it out loud.

"I will write to the three of them right away."

Just at this time, Sun Ce asked for a meeting.

"Xuan."

After a while, Sun Ce came in with a treasure chest in his hands. He took a few steps forward, knelt on one knee, raised his hands high, and said, "I have a treasure to present to you, my lord."

Jin Mao couldn't help but stand up and walked to Sun Ce. He first helped him up and then asked, "What treasure is in the box?"

"Pass the country's jade seal!"

Sun Ce answered decisively, looking at Jin Mao with sparkling eyes.

"The imperial seal?"

There was only curiosity on Jin Mao's face, because he knew that inside the box was the legendary jade seal passed down from the First Emperor.

It is just curiosity, because the jade seal used by the emperor to issue edicts is not this imperial seal, but the six special seals, that is, six jade seals.

This imperial seal has more symbolic significance.

After opening the box, Jin Mao picked up the ten-centimeter square imperial seal. As expected, a corner was missing and filled with gold. Below it were eight small seal characters "Received the Mandate from Heaven, May You Live Long and Prosper", and above it was a real dragon carved.

"So this is the imperial seal."

Jin Mao took a closer look and apart from being a little excited at the beginning, he now seemed too calm.

"This treasure is very valuable for collection." Jin Mao said with a smile: "Bo Fu is thoughtful."

"Tell me, what reward do you want?"

Jin Mao specifically explained: "I can't give you a promotion, you need military merit to get it."

"You are already a Sima. If you are promoted further, you will become a lieutenant of each main battalion. Your current rank and military achievements are not enough."

Sun Ce was amazed at Jin Mao's motivation, that he could remain unmoved when seeing the imperial seal, and was shocked that he did not play by the rules.

This is the imperial seal!
How could there be no reaction at all?

Fortunately, Xun Yu was nearby and came to the rescue, saying, "My lord, I think Sima Sun is looking for a chance to make a contribution."

Jin Mao thought about it and realized that it was true.

When he was fighting against Dong Zhuo, he was under Zhou Tai and was entitled to share some of the profits if he made any contributions. However, he did not participate in the battle of Yizhou at the beginning and did not fight much afterwards, so he did not have many opportunities to make contributions.

"Let's put it this way." Jin Mao said, "If Bo Fu has confidence, I have a task for you. It depends on whether you have the courage."

"Please give your notice!" Sun Ce reacted very quickly. Although the script did not develop as expected, the result was still good.

Sun Ce believed that with his talents, he would be able to make a career for himself.

"Yuzhou Yuan Shu has been restless lately."

Jin Mao asked, "Do you dare to lead your troops and go deep into Yuzhou to be a bandit?"

"I don't ask you to annihilate all of Yuan Shu's 50,000 or 60,000 troops, but just make sure they don't have a peaceful life."

"Are you confident?"

Sun Ce responded decisively: "Yes!"

Jin Mao's eyes lit up. Nothing could train a person better than actual combat. Since he was optimistic about Sun Ce's future, he might as well let him experience the hardships.

"it is good!"

Jin Mao said: "I will select a thousand elite soldiers as the backbone."

"From now on, no matter how many people you recruit, I will only provide you with military rations for one thousand people every year. You need to figure out the rest on your own!"

"One more thing, the people you recruit need to strictly follow military regulations. Otherwise, you, the commander, will be guilty of the same crime as the soldiers!"

Sun Ce didn't expect that he would not only be able to lead an army alone, but also have the opportunity to go out and work on his own.

Although there are some constraints, it is better than no constraints.

Yuan Shu is not someone to be trifled with, and Sun Ce does not have much confidence that he can overthrow him with just a thousand elite troops.

"Thank you, my lord!" Sun Ce bowed and said, "I have lived up to your expectations!"

"Well, go ahead." Jin Mao nodded and said, "Five days later, go to Luyang County and take the soldiers with you and set off."

This has a strong flavor of trying to cover up the truth, mainly because Jin Mao had no legitimate reason to fight against Yuan Shu and Cao Cao.

They could only use this method of crying thief to provoke Yuan Shu's anger.

At that time, we will have to launch a defensive counterattack to destroy the enemy.

Now that the general policy has been decided, it is time to carry out micro-management.

It just so happened that Sun Ce came to the door to cause trouble for Yuan Shu.

(End of this chapter)