Chapter 51 Zhao Yun helps Liu Bei, and Yuan’s conspiracy is exposed on the spot!

Speed ​​is of the essence in war, Yuan Shao immediately convened a meeting of the princes and took out the forged letter:

"While we were in Beijing to clear out the emperor's entourage, the Xianbei and Wuhuan rebelled at the border. It is said that the soldiers and civilians in Youzhou suffered heavy casualties!"

"What?!!!"

Gongsun Zan jumped up and said in disbelief: "Why didn't I receive any message?"

"This is my Yuan family's intelligence network. The information I got through pigeon messaging may be a little behind the times."

Yuan Shao showed the "wealthy and powerful" side of the Yuan family.

Carrier pigeons were already used to deliver messages in the Eastern Han Dynasty. However, they were inconvenient to raise and consumed a huge amount of money and food, so they were worth "a thousand pieces of gold per pigeon"!
Gongsun Zan was already living beyond his means to maintain the "White Horse Volunteers" cavalry unit, so he had no energy left to raise homing pigeons.

"These damned barbarians are letting their horses run wild on the border of our great Han Dynasty again!" Gongsun Zan could no longer sit still, "In that case, I will lead my troops back to the border to provide support immediately!"

"Gongsun Taishou is right. We are here to save the king, but we cannot let the barbarians invade the borders of the Han Dynasty!"

Yuan Shao raised both hands in agreement, and Yuan's disciples, former officials, and aristocratic allies also echoed him. Gongsun Zan immediately stood up impatiently and decided to lead his troops back to rescue Youzhou.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war. If we act a little later, more soldiers and civilians may die at the border. When it comes to fighting against the barbarians, General Gongsun Zan of the White Horse has the final say!

After thinking about it, Liu Bei chased after him. He hurriedly called Gongsun Zan and asked, "Brother Bogui, if you lead your troops away, what will happen to the king's rescue?"

"Xuan De, all the troops under my command are cavalry. Attacking cities and looting strongholds is not my specialty. Staying here will not be of much help. On the contrary, it is the soldiers and civilians at the border who need my help. Do you understand which is more important?"

Gongsun Zan's words were well-founded. Although Liu Bei was worried about His Majesty, he could only sigh and nod, saying:

"I understand! Soldiers and civilians at the border are equally important! Brother Bogui, be careful on your way north!"

"It doesn't matter to me, but it's Xuande..."

Gongsun Zan frowned.

Liu Bei was the magistrate of Pingyuan County, which was right below Bohai County. Even if he left with him, he would not have enough authority to do so. It would be better for him to stay here and rescue the king.

But Liu Bei was short of soldiers and major generals, and Gongsun Zan was afraid that his brother would suffer, so he thought for a while and said, "Xuan De is short of soldiers and major generals. I will send 3,000 cavalry and infantry to Xuan De to take charge. Do you have soldiers who can talk to him?"

"This... is absolutely not possible! The barbarians are harassing our borders, and we urgently need troops to support us. On the contrary, the princes of Guandong have many soldiers and generals, so they don't need any troops. Brother Bogui can just use them to conquer the barbarians!"

Liu Bei declined. Gongsun Zan had been very good to him and he really couldn't push his luck any further.

Gongsun Zan didn't care much. He said:

"Xuan De, as long as I am in charge of Youzhou, my reputation as the White Horse General Gongsun Zan will be enough to scare the barbarians! On the contrary, it is you who have these princes with ulterior motives. I am afraid that you will suffer a loss!"

After several refusals, Liu Bei could no longer refuse and could only say, "Thank you, Brother Bogui, for your kindness!"

"You and I are brothers, why bother thanking each other?" Gongsun Zan asked again, "Does Xuande have any soldiers to talk to?"

"Well, Brother Bogui, I get along very well with Zhao Zilong of Changshan who is under your command." Liu Bei thought of a young general in a white robe and immediately stopped being pretentious and brought it up.

"Zhao Yun? No problem!"

Gongsun Zan didn't care much about it. He talked about some more soldiers and immediately allocated 3,000 infantry and cavalry to Liu Bei, which made Liu Bei grateful and burst into tears.

"Brother Bogui, be careful on your journey."

"Xuan De, please don't send me off so far."

Gongsun Zan led his army away in a hurry. Liu Bei stood outside Suanzao City and accompanied him for ten miles. After Gongsun Zan disappeared from sight, he still stayed for a long time and did not leave.

This was both Liu Bei's brotherly love for Gongsun Zan and his reluctance to return to the meeting of princes. Liu Bei could actually sense that the princes had ulterior motives and their own calculations.

However, since they were all for the purpose of "saving the king", Liu Bei didn't have much to say. Since he couldn't afford to provoke them, he could afford to hide from them.

"Brother Xuande is indeed affectionate and caring!"

Zhao Yun saw Liu Bei's affection for Gongsun Zan and greatly recognized and respected him.

After a long time, Liu Bei came back to his senses, took Zhao Yun's hand, and said affectionately: "Zilong, you and I have had a great conversation along the way. Now we can finally fight side by side and strive to save the king!"

"It's a pity that Hulao Pass and Sishui Pass have not been captured for a long time. I don't know when we can come to rescue the king!" Zhao Yun sighed.

Immediately, Liu Bei took Zhao Yun back to the camp and discussed battle strategies with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and the other two.

As for the meeting of princes, he had long forgotten about it.

……

Not long after Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei left, Yuan Shao made another plan, saying that the Yellow Turban bandits were sweeping across Qingzhou, and news came from Bohai that people were fleeing in all directions, their families were broken up, and their wives and children were separated, and they must be controlled!

This is not because Yuan Shao lied, he just exaggerated a bit.

The governor of Qingzhou at that time was Jiao He, who also echoed the princes of Guandong in their campaign against Dong Zhuo. It was Jiao He who took the Qingzhou troops away, leaving the Qingzhou military defenses weak, which gave the Yellow Turban bandits an opportunity to take advantage.

After hearing this, Qingzhou officials naturally became worried about their hometown.

For example, after hearing this, Kong Rong of Beihai thought for a moment and said:
"In that case, I will immediately lead my troops back to Beihai to suppress the Yellow Turban bandits, and then return to Suanzao. It is important to serve the king and save him, but we cannot let the Yellow Turban bandits harass the people!"

...

"Wen Ju is indeed very righteous. I will send troops to support you. You and I will attack from above and below, and we will be able to wipe out the Yellow Turban bandits as soon as possible."

Yuan Shao was afraid that others would see his intention, so he immediately added:
"The princes besieged the capital and rescued the king. It will not be successful overnight. Next, we may have to fight a protracted war. We must take care of the logistics to avoid a fire in the backyard!"

...

"What the leader said is very true."

Qiao Mao and other Yuan family allies immediately echoed and said:

"Fortunately, we control the Yellow River and can rely on the Yellow River for water transportation, so we don't have to travel back and forth, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Moreover, the Yellow River tributaries, the Huai River and the Si River network provide extensive water transportation, which can also help us ensure logistics. Since this is a protracted war, we must take good care of the rear!"

...

"This is so true!"

...

After the intervention of Yuan Shao and his allies, most of the princes from Guandong were transferred away. It was not because these princes did not know how to prioritize, but because they relied on the banks of the Yellow River and had the Huai and Si water systems behind them, so water transportation was relatively convenient.

It is entirely possible to go back to the rear to suppress the Yellow Turban bandits, and then lead the army back to Suanzao. Since it has been dragged into a protracted war, it is indeed one of the rules of military strategy to ensure that the logistics and food routes are unobstructed.

Yuan Shao no longer has any worries!

Even if the truth comes out, he can suppress these troops and prevent them from turning against him in the middle of a battle!
Of course, this was not enough. He had to delay the troops in the capital to give him enough time to develop and annex Jizhou.

...

Yuan Shao wrote the letter himself and immediately sent a pigeon to Yu Fuluo, the Right Wise King of the Southern Xiongnu.

Yufuluo was the son of the Chanyu of Qiangqu in the Southern Xiongnu and the Right Wise King.

In 187, in order to conquer the Xianbei, the Eastern Han court dispatched troops to the Southern Xiongnu, and Yu Fuluo was appointed as the commander to aid the Han.

In the following year, 188 AD, a coup d'état took place in the Southern Xiongnu. The Chanyu of Qiangqu was killed and Xubu Guduhou was made Chanyu. Yufuluo remained in the Han area thereafter.

After the death of Emperor Ling of Han, Yu Fuluo was secretly supported by the Yuan family. He took advantage of the Yellow Turban Rebellion and joined forces with the Baibo bandits to invade Taiyuan, Hanoi and other places.

Later, Qiao Mao forged an imperial edict to purge the emperor's side, and Yu Fuluo joined Yuan Shao and stationed troops in the area of ​​Changzhi and Zhangshui in Bingzhou.

If Yu Fuluo led his troops to rebel, Shangdang County in Bingzhou would be in chaos. Shangdang is adjacent to Taiyuan. These two counties are the political, economic and military centers of Bingzhou. The nearby Taiyuan Basin and Linfen Basin will be affected.

and!

Shangdang County passed through the Eight Passes of Taihang Mountain and could attack Jizhou and the North China Plain to the east. It could reach Henei and Luoyang to the south.

Hence the evaluation that “the destiny of the world lies in this”.

As long as Yu Fuluo led his troops to cause chaos in Shangdang County, he would be able to tie down the troops in the capital, causing officials such as Wang Yun and generals such as Lu Bu, who were from Bingzhou, to worry about the situation in their hometowns, thus buying time for Yuan Shao.

……

While Yuan Shao was arranging his troops for his retreat, in the capital Luoyang, the attendant Liu He left Luoyang under the escort of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, carrying Liu Bian's secret decree to collect grain.

They entered Henei through Mengjin Pass and prepared to enter Bingzhou from Taihang Xing, avoiding the coalition forces of the Guandong princes, and detouring through Youzhou, trying to contact Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, to requisition food and fodder for the capital.

at the same time.

Shangshu Ling Lu Zhi, Henei Prefect Wang Kuang, and Shangdang Prefect Zhang Yang went to the capital alone to plead guilty.

When they just entered the city, the Jinyiwei brought Yuan Wei and the generals of the Xiliang Army, totaling thousands of heads, and escorted them to Hulao Pass in Guandong at full speed.

The coalition of the Guandong princes was the most powerful, with more soldiers and generals, so they decided to first undermine the political intentions of the coalition of the Guandong princes.

After seeing the heads of Yuan Wei and other generals of the Xiliang Army, Lu Zhi, Wang Kuang, Zhang Yang and other generals were horrified and finally became convinced that what His Majesty's handwritten secret decree said was true.

Considering that His Majesty used the "Prince's Debate" seal, while Qiao Mao's "forged edict" used the seals of the Imperial Seal and the Six Seals of the Son of Heaven, they were instantly shocked, and their hearts were filled with turmoil!

It seems that the rumors are true. The six seals of the emperor and the imperial seal may have been lost!

This is also why Your Majesty did not issue an edict to announce to the world that Qiao Mao’s edict was a "forged edict" and a disguise!

Because of the lack of the imperial seal and the six seals of the emperor, your majesty's edict is not legitimate and completely illegal, and no one will believe it!

Yuan Wei led this coup, and they were all played around by Yuan. It's terrifying to think about it!
Lu Zhi, Wang Kuang and Zhang Yang were horrified. They were finally summoned by the emperor. The three of them really apologized and were not just pretending.

However, when Liu Bian saw the three men's behavior, he personally stepped forward to untie them, which made the three generals flattered and moved to tears of gratitude.

"Your Majesty, we are guilty of treason and counterattack against the capital. We deserve to be put to death!" Lu Zhi burst into tears. He was loyal to the emperor and patriotic all his life, but he did not expect that he would be deceived by Yuan Shikai in his old age and lose his integrity in his later years.

"Minister Lu, don't blame yourself. The fault is not yours!"

Liu Bian expressed magnanimity towards Lu Zhi, Wang Kuang and Zhang Yang.

In addition to the fact that in the original history, the performance of the three people was indeed worthy of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, and also because the loyalty of the three people was 90+.

Among them, Lu Zhi scored as high as 95+.

For Liu Bian, he could tolerate the incompetence of his ministers, but he could not tolerate their disloyalty!

Lu Zhi, Wang Kuang and Zhang Yang were manipulated by Yuan Shikai and were incompetent and old and blind. But as long as they were loyal to the emperor and patriotic, Liu Bian would give them a chance to make amends.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!!!"

The three generals were moved to tears.

After Liu Bian calmed the three people, he turned to the main topic and said with a sigh:
"Yuan Wei is really despicable. Before his death, he instigated grain merchants to burn grain and grass, causing the capital to be short of food and unable to survive for more than a few days!
"I have already sent special envoys to various places to collect food and fodder, but!
"Without the seals of the Imperial Seal and the Six Seals of the Son of Heaven, I wonder how many loyal officials of the Han Dynasty will rush to the capital to help!"

...

Lu Zhi, Wang Kuang and Zhang Yang's hearts skipped a beat and their faces turned pale with horror. As expected, they had guessed right. The six seals of the emperor and the imperial seal were lost, and they might even be in Yuan's hands. After hearing this, they didn't dare to ask any more questions!

Lu Zhi said:

“Your Majesty, the current plan is to disperse the allied forces in Guandong, Guannan, and Guanxi, because the siege by the princes has also blocked the trade routes, making it difficult to transport trade goods to the capital.

After that, we will requisition food and grass from the surrounding areas. If the local areas resist, we will directly send troops to conquer them. Those who disobey the king's orders are all traitors! Although I am old, I can still fight!"

...

Hearing this, Liu Bian's eyes softened as he looked at Lu Zhi.

loyalty!

that's enough!
Lu Zhi is indeed worthy of the title of "famous throughout the country, the leader of Confucianism, a role model for scholars, and a pillar of the country." His reputation is well-deserved.

Liu Bian said, "General Lu, I actually promoted you to be the Grand Tutor a long time ago, to take over Yuan Wei's position, and to be in charge of the Shangshu affairs with Minister of the Interior Wang Yun. I really didn't make a mistake in choosing you!"

"His Majesty!!!"

Lu Zhi was immediately flattered, his body trembled, and tears flowed down his face:

"My eyesight is dim and I fell into Yuan's trap, so I attacked the capital and committed heinous acts.

I never thought that Your Majesty would not punish severely, but reward. Throughout the ages, who can be as wise and powerful as Your Majesty? The wise rulers of the ancient times were no more than this!"

...

you can!

Based on Lu Zhi's statement, Liu Bian felt that he had done the right thing.

Lu Zhi was not only a general who was good at fighting, he was also a Confucian scholar who collated Confucian classics and participated in writing the "Dongguan Hanji".

This is a history book!

It concerns Liu Bian’s reputation before and after his death!

Liu Bian began to like Lu Zhi more.

...

At this time, Wang Kuang also immediately said:
"Your Majesty, a troop of the allied forces of the Guandong lords is attacking Sishui Pass, which is exactly in the jurisdiction of Henei. I can immediately launch a counterattack and seize the food and supplies and report back to the capital!"

...

"Your Majesty, I was bewitched by Yuan Shao and stationed troops in Shangdang with Yu Fuluo, the Right Wise King of the Southern Xiongnu. Although Bingzhou is bitterly cold, the agricultural harvest in the basins of Shangdang and Taiyuan is also very impressive.

"It is now September, the time for autumn harvest, so we can harvest in advance and rush to the capital to provide grain and grass to alleviate the capital's grain and grass crisis.

"It doesn't matter if we suffer a little, but we can't let Your Majesty starve!"

Zhang Yang couldn't wait to speak.

...

Liu Bian's eyes became softer as he looked at the three generals. From their words and actions, Liu Bian could feel the passion of the loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty, which was a world of difference compared to the Yuan family.

But suddenly, Liu Bian was stunned and asked anxiously: "Zhishu (Zhang Yang), what did you just say? Who did you station troops with in Shangdang?"

"Yufuluo, the Right Wise King of the Southern Xiongnu."

Zhang Yang felt a little excited, Zhishu was his cousin name, and His Majesty calling him by his cousin name showed how close they were.

But he suddenly noticed that Liu Bian frowned, and thought that Liu Bian was wondering why the Southern Xiongnu stationed troops in Shangdang.

This explains why Yu Fuluo was assigned by the court to fight against the Xianbei and Southern Xiongnu, and then they rebelled, so he could not go back and stayed in Han area.

...

Liu Bian didn't know much about Fu Luo, but he knew about the Southern Xiongnu, and he also knew that during the time when Dong Zhuo was in power and the princes were fighting against Dong Zhuo, something happened.

When the Central Plains was in chaos and warlords were fighting for supremacy, the Southern Xiongnu took the opportunity to rebel and swept across Bingzhou and Hedong areas. Cai Yan, a talented woman of the Eastern Han Dynasty, was abducted at this time, which left a deep impression on Liu Bian.

There is a possibility of unrest in Bingzhou!

"When the heads of Yuan Wei and the Xiliang army are sent to the front, the truth will be revealed and the Yuan family's evil ambitions will no longer be concealed. The brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu will definitely respond.

"Since Yu Fuluo has attached himself to Yuan Shao, he might cause chaos in Bingzhou and support Yuan Shao. Uncle Zhi, you must lead your troops back to Shangdang immediately and suppress Bingzhou!"

Liu Bian looked at Zhang Yang and Wang Kuang and said, "Gongjie (Wang Kuang), you will lead your troops to Henei immediately to defend the northern barrier of Luoyang."

...

"I obey your command!!!"

Zhang Yang and Wang Kuang immediately accepted the order.

...

Liu Bian thought for a moment, gave them half of the jade pendant as a token of trust, and said:
"The six imperial seals and the imperial seal are lost. For the time being, I can only use my imperial seal and tokens to communicate with you through letters.

"It is now the twilight hour, and it is time for dinner. I should have kept you for dinner, but speed is of the essence in war, and you must race against time to be prepared.

After this turmoil, the country is in ruins and the people are suffering. We cannot let the people continue to suffer. The Han Dynasty cannot stand it any longer! "

...

"Your Majesty, I will ride back to defend your position immediately!!!"

Zhang Yang and Wang Kuang were so hungry that their stomachs growled. They had come to the capital from Mengjin Pass in Guanbei to plead guilty, and they were exhausted from the long journey and the heavy traffic. When they entered the palace to meet His Majesty, they were already exhausted.

however!
Seeing His Majesty commending them so seriously, putting aside past grudges and giving them important tasks, they were filled with gratitude and suddenly felt like they had infinite strength and were no longer hungry.

He immediately took the order and retreated, then rode back to his jurisdiction at full speed to provide support.

...

"Your Majesty, I can take your orders and go to the Guandong defense line to suppress Yuan Shao and other traitors."

Seeing Zhang Yang and Wang Kuang retreat, Lu Zhi volunteered.

The bandits such as Yuan Shao, the lord of Guandong, stationed their troops in Suanzao, while the bandits such as Yuan Shu, the lord of Guannan, stationed their troops in Yingchuan and Nanyang. These two forces must be eliminated as soon as possible to open up the passage between the capital and the local areas.

But Liu Bian said: "General Lu, the capital is now 'short of soldiers and generals', and we still need you to sit in the Shangshutai!"

"I...obey the order!"

Lu Zhi suddenly remembered that Taiwei Yang Biao led all the officials in the court to bang the door and cry, and now he is still imprisoned in the Tianlao. There is a shortage of military and political officials in the capital, and the whole country is about to come to a standstill.

"Um……"

Liu Bian hesitated whether to keep Lu Zhi for dinner. After all, Lu Zhi could write history books, which was related to his reputation before and after his death, so he still needed to be won over.

But Lu Zhi was very perceptive and said directly: "Your Majesty, I will take up the post immediately. Speed ​​is of the essence and time does not wait for us!"

"I'm so relieved!"

Lu Zhi also took his leave.

...

Even though Yuan Wei's entire family was beheaded, it seemed that the matter had come to an end, but this was not the end, but a new beginning, a more serious beginning.

Although Liu Bian seemed to be in control of the capital, the ensuing food and grass crisis was also imminent.

The capital has a population of millions and hundreds of thousands of troops. The consumption of food for people and horses is extremely horrible. If you are not careful, famine will break out.

Therefore, Liu Bian tried every possible means to requisition food and fodder. Now that he has adopted a multi-pronged approach, it remains to be seen how effective it will be.

The whereabouts of the six imperial seals and the imperial seal are unknown.

Liu Bian's worries did not ease much. When the imperial kitchen served the food, Liu Bian frowned at the delicacies and ordered, "From today on, the palace will be frugal!"

"This……"

Cao Zhengchun was stunned for a moment and wanted to persuade him, but seeing Liu Bian's firm expression, he immediately changed his words and said, "I obey your command!!!"

Liu Bian then started to eat, but he did not enjoy the food.

...

At exactly 8 o'clock in the evening, the Jinyiwei finally delivered the heads of Yuan Wei and other generals of the Xiliang Army to the front line of Hulao Pass without stopping.

At this time, Zhang Liao also confirmed that the coalition forces of the Guandong princes had retreated to Suanzao and abandoned Xingyang and other places, and had ordered Lu Bu to lead the Bingzhou army to take over Xingyang.

After receiving the imperial edict, he immediately prepared to disintegrate the coalition forces of the princes in Guandong.

Except for Yuan Shao, Yuan's allies and other treacherous ministers with ulterior motives, many of the princes, such as Yanzhou Governor Liu Dai and others, were loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty and were loyal to the Han Dynasty!

They must be made to understand Yuan’s conspiracy!

It was a dark and windy night, and the heads of Yuan Wei and the other generals of the Xiliang Army could not be seen clearly under the flickering light of the torches, which might arouse suspicion.

However, Zhang Liao still decided to send troops to attack the Suanzao coalition position at night and informed them of the matter before the battle.

After the soldiers had a hearty meal, Zhang Liao personally led his troops to attack the temporary camp of the Suanzao coalition forces, which immediately made the Suanzao Guandong princes coalition forces prepare for battle as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

It should be noted that after Yuan Shao turned the tables, most of the princes from Guandong had already left, leaving the military force depleted.

But Zhang Liao did not attack violently, instead he ordered his soldiers to shout:

"Yuan Wei and the other generals of the Western Liang Army have been ordered to be executed by Your Majesty for their reckless behavior. Why don't you surrender? Are you still going to continue to be stubborn and rebellious?

"Qiao Mao's edict is a 'forged edict', a 'forged' edict of Your Majesty. Your Majesty did not issue an edict to 'rescue the king' at all. This is all a conspiracy of the Yuan family!
"You should immediately abandon the dark and join the light. There is still time!"

...

Tens of thousands of soldiers under Zhang Liao's command were all in a state of fullness, because their roars were full of energy, and tens of thousands of voices gathered together, the sound was heard for ten miles and resounded through the sky.

In fact, there are wild animals and even tigers around Hulao Pass at night. It was named because King Mu of Zhou imprisoned a tiger here.

"Ouch——"

When the tiger roared in the mountains, the roar of tens of thousands of soldiers even scared away hundreds of beasts, making them dare not approach. It can be seen that the roar was so powerful that all beasts retreated.

The coalition forces of the Guandong princes stationed their troops in Suanzao, with camps stretching for dozens of miles. Everything in every camp of the princes could be heard clearly.

Suddenly they were horrified!!! The army was shaken!!!
The princes finally realized that they were not “serving the king to save him”, but were “rebellious” and launched a counterattack against the capital? ! ! !
……

(End of this chapter)