Xiaoqi

In the past two days, Gongsun Zan was busy dispatching troops and generals to defend against Yuan Shao's attack on Youzhou.But today I received a detailed report that Yuan Shaozheng dispatched more than [-] cavalry and did not go to the border between Hebei and You.In this way, as long as you are not a fool, you can naturally see that Yuan Shao's mobilization of heavy troops this time is not for attacking Youzhou, but for other purposes.Therefore, Gongsun Zan urgently summoned several cronies to come to discuss the matter and discuss what Yuan Shao wanted to do.

Jixian State Shepherd's Mansion, the main hall.

The majestic Gongsun Zan sat at the head seat and sipped tea without haste. This was the biggest difference between him and the generals under his command.

Because of the cold climate in Youzhou, most people in the territory prefer to drink alcohol rather than tea. When the states in the Central Plains are still in midsummer, Ji County has already begun to cool down.Therefore, at present, everyone else in the main hall is drinking alcohol, and only Gongsun Zan is drinking tea. This is a habit he developed when he was a student of Lu Zhi in his early years.

However, as his status continued to rise over the years, Gongsun Zan gradually gave up the habit of drinking tea and usually drank alcohol.But today is different, because Yuan Shao's move in Jizhou is weird and suspicious.Therefore, before discussing matters, Gongsun Zan specially ordered his attendants to make tea, which would help him to think clearly and avoid being too greedy.

There are not many people sitting in the hall at the moment, there are only four people, they are: Gongsun Zan's younger brother Gongsun Fan, the eldest son Gongsun Xu, the long history Guan Jing and the senior official Gongsun Ji.

These four were Gongsun Zan's confidantes. Except for Chang Shi Guan Jing, the other three were relatives of Gongsun Zan. Among them, Gongsun Ji was Gongsun Zan's greatest contribution to occupying Youzhou and killing Liu Yu.

"You have all read the spy report. Yuan Shao mobilized 12 troops to the south within half a month, and all of them were day and night, and their behavior was very suspicious. The person who is currently stationed at the border of Hebei and You is still Ju Yi, the general of Jizhou. All the well-known Hebei Four Court Columns were transferred to the territory of Zhao State to wait for the opportunity." On the main seat, after the four people in the hall read the spy report, Gongsun Zan gently put down the teacup and said in a deep voice.

Then he paused for a moment, and asked suspiciously: "What exactly does Yuan Shao want to do? Could it be that he wants to capture Yanzhou? But now Yanzhou has been captured by Lu Bu, and the Bingzhou army is a victorious army. The army is in full swing. Yuan Shao is attacking Lu Bu at this time. It's really unwise. Even if Yuan Shao can't understand such a simple truth, the many advisers under his command must have seen it clearly, and they will definitely warn him. Therefore, it is expected that Yuan Shao's mobilization of troops this time should not be to attack Lu Bu. Then What exactly does he intend?"

"Since Yuan Shao didn't mobilize the army to attack us, why bother him?" Before Gongsun Zan could finish his sentence, his younger brother Gongsun Fan answered immediately, and then analyzed: "The purpose of Yuan Shao's army going south is nothing more than There are two possibilities. One, as his elder brother said, he wants to take advantage of the war in Yanzhou to send troops to help Cao Cao defeat Lu Bu and capture Yanzhou. The second is to wait for an opportunity to capture Sili or Bingzhou. Other than that, there is no other possibility. The third possibility."

"What the three generals said is very true." Chief Shi Guan Jing nodded and said in agreement: "A few months ago, Yuan Shao led his troops to wipe out the Black Mountain bandits. Naturally, there is no need to send troops to suppress bandits again. As a result, apart from Youzhou, the only counties that border Jizhou are Yanzhou, Sili and Bingzhou. As the lord said, the battle of Yanzhou has come to an end. After winning the complete victory, Cao Cao was huddled within the three small county towns, lingering on his last legs and about to be destroyed. At this time, Yuan Shao sent troops to Yanzhou and missed the best time to attack, so it was unwise to mobilize 12 troops to attack Yanzhou. It can be seen that the real purpose of Yuan Shao's secret deployment of troops this time must not be Yanzhou, but Sili or Bingzhou."

Guan Jing talked eloquently, and the meaning was roughly the same as what Gongsun Fan said, so it was like saying nothing.However, after Gongsun Zan heard these words, he smiled slightly, which was obviously very helpful.Because the main purpose of Guan Jing's words was to take the opportunity to flatter Gongsun Zan, but the flattery was well-founded and righteous, so that people could not see that he was flattering Gongsun Zan.In this way, Gongsun Zan would be happy without belittling his own identity. This was Guan Jing's real intention, and it was also the key reason why he was always valued by Gongsun Zan.

In terms of talent alone, Guan Jing is not very talented, but a mediocre person through and through.In terms of martial arts, he is less than seven feet eight inches tall, as thin as a stick, and looks like a weak scholar with no strength to restrain a chicken.However, it was such a man who was incapable of writing and martial arts, but was deeply trusted and appreciated by Gongsun Zan, and was promoted to the chief history of the prefectural pastor's mansion.And all of this was in exchange for Guan Jing's mouth, because he was a flattering, timid and cowardly snob.

At the same time, Guan Jing is also the person who knows Gongsun Zan's character and temper best.Every time he opened his mouth to speak, he would flatter Gongsun Zan without any trace, which made the handsome Gongsun Zan very useful and happy.It was precisely because Guan Jing had always been clever and pleasant to speak, that Gongsun Zan especially appreciated him, and entrusted him with a heavy responsibility, ranking him as the chief historian.

After Guan Jing finished speaking, Gongsun Zan's eldest son, Gongsun Xu, nodded slightly, and said very bluntly, "Third Uncle and Chang Shi are right, and my son thinks so too."

At this time, Gongsun Ji, who betrayed Liu Yu's military plan last year, said, "This subordinate thinks so too. However, Bingzhou is currently full of bandits and bandits, and there are still many black mountain bandits staying in Bingzhou, so the time for Yuan Shao to attack Bingzhou is not yet ripe." .”

At this point, Gongsun Ji's face suddenly changed, and he exclaimed: "Could it be... Could it be that Yuan Shao wants to lead his troops to attack Sili? This is the territory of General Li Li. There are nearly [-] Xiliang troops stationed along the banks of the river. Could it be that Yuan Shao is so arrogant that he can defeat the Xiliang army?"

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Chapter 572

Chapter 572

"It's not impossible. Is there anything in this world that Yuan Benchu ​​dare not do?"

After Gongsun Zan heard the words, he murmured thoughtfully.

Guan Jing's face changed when he heard this, his eyes wandered, and there was an obvious timid look on his face.

This is Guan Jing's true nature, apart from being good at flattery, he is timid and afraid of getting into trouble.

The reason why he was able to gain the trust of Gongsun Zan and be promoted to the position of Chang Shi in an extraordinary way was due to his ability to observe words and demeanor, and to flatter horses.

Under Gongsun Zan's tent, most of the civil and military personnel have some skills.Even Gongsun Zan's three sworn brothers, fortune-teller Liu Weitai, dealer Li Yizi, and Jia Renle Hedang, all have their own strengths, and they all help Gongsun Zan.Only Changshi Guan Jingwen was not successful, but he was in a high position, and he was trusted by Gongsun Zan, and he was involved in all major and minor matters.

At the same time, Gongsun Zan's subordinates also have a special feature, that is, Gongsun Zan's most trusted subordinates are always family brothers, and he is more or less wary of outsiders.

It can be seen from this that Gongsun Zan attaches great importance to family affection, and the fact that Changshi Guan Jing was able to participate in such an important internal meeting of the Gongsun family shows that his weight in Gongsun Zan's mind is not inferior to that of his clan members.

There is no shortage of people who are good at making money in any era. Guan Jing's current status is rooted in Gongsun Zan's unique character.

Although Gongsun Zan was born in a wealthy Gongsun family in western Liaoning, he was born of a maidservant, and his status in the family was low since childhood.But he was born with good looks, burly, brave and courageous. At the age of Guan, he was recruited by Liu Jun, the prefect of Zhuojun County, as his son-in-law.

However, wait until Gongsun Zan gradually becomes powerful.As his status got higher and higher, he and the Gongsun family in the west of Liaosi became divided, and they went their own way, never interacting with each other until death.Therefore, he and Gongsun Du of Liaodong were originally brothers of the same clan, but they did not communicate with each other, and gradually became two forces that were hostile to each other.It's just that due to the current situation, the two vassal forces from the Gongsun family have not yet fought face-to-face. They intend to restrain each other, and they are in the same state.But each occupies one side, guards against each other, and coexists with each other.

Right now Gongsun Zan occupies more than half of Youzhou, has captured the money, food and military equipment left by Liu Yu, and has tens of thousands of soldiers and horses.Strength soared.At the same time, as Youzhou was occupied by him.The conflict between him and Yuan Shao became more and more intense.It seems that the situation is the same as water and fire, and there is no end to death.After all, the land of Youyan cannot accommodate two heroes with great ambitions standing side by side. No matter who wants to monopolize the land of Youyan, they must destroy the other.Otherwise, the two princes would not be able to live in peace all the time, and Yuan Shao was worried that Gongsun Zan would attack from behind.But if Gongsun Zan wants to enter the Central Plains, he must overcome Yuan Shao's stumbling block.

An enemy's enemy is a friend. Everyone understands this simple truth, and Gongsun Zan is no exception.

Figured out the moment when Yuan Shao tried to attack Sili.Gongsun Zan suddenly felt that the opportunity had come.

As long as Yuan Shao is entangled in Sili and unable to escape for a while, or is severely frustrated by Xiliang Li Li, no matter what kind of result is a good thing that Gongsun Zan likes to see, it is tantamount to helping him weaken Yuan Shao's strength.And he can take advantage of this time to wipe out Liu Yu's remnants, eliminate bandits, and completely control Youzhou.After the remnants of Xian Yufu and Yan Rou are completely wiped out, Gongsun Zan can take advantage of the situation to attack Qingzhou in an all-round way, further strengthen his strength and territory, and then wipe out Yuan Shao in Jizhou in one fell swoop.

In view of this, Gongsun Zan, who has been suffering from internal and external troubles in recent years, felt very relieved, and the suffocation accumulated in his chest was finally released, and his body and mind were at ease.

"Brother, if Yuan Shao really leads his troops to attack Sili, then our chance has come!" Just as Gongsun Zan was thinking to himself, his younger brother Gongsun Fan interrupted his thoughts.

Immediately, Gongsun Fan said excitedly: "At present, Yuan Shao has about 10,000 soldiers and horses. In addition to the soldiers and horses stationed in various counties, he can mobilize at most 12+ mobile troops at any time. Now he has [-] soldiers and horses. All the troops of Wan are transferred to the direction of Sili, which means that Jizhou is temporarily unable to attack our Youzhou. In this way, we can quietly withdraw part of the [-] troops stationed at the border and put down the rebellion as soon as possible. In addition, brother Yu please order, lead [-] soldiers and horses attack Qingzhou. If the battle goes well, when Yuan Shao returns to Jizhou, we will already occupy Qingzhou and Youzhou. At that time, the strength comparison between our soldiers in Youzhou and Yuan Shao in Jizhou will be completely reversed, and we will come from behind. , fully capable of taking the initiative to attack Jizhou, a shame for Xuejieqiao!"

"Yeah." Gongsun Zan nodded with a smile, and said with a smile, "Third Brother is right. Since Chen Liu joined the alliance, we have no connection with the Xiliang Army. In recent years, we have often exchanged letters with each other, and the past has long been resolved. Two years ago, Da General Li Li is in charge of the Xiliang Army and the imperial court. The General will agree to everything that Gongsun Zan asks, and he treats me well. I will never forget this friendship. Besides, the General now has hundreds of thousands of soldiers in his hands. Most of the soldiers and horses are still the battle-tested Xiliang cavalry. Their strength and combat power have already surpassed all the princes in the world. Although our soldiers and horses in Youzhou are brave and good at fighting, they are inferior to the Xiliang army Quite a few, and they are definitely not the enemy of the Xiliang army. In addition, we are far away from Xiliang, and there will be no conflict within three to five years, so I intend to form an alliance with the Xiliang army to fight against Yuan Shao in Jizhou!"

After speaking, Gongsun Zan took out a roll of letters from his sleeve, and raised his hand to signal Gongsun Fan to step forward.

When Gongsun Fan took the letter and inspected it, Gongsun Zan smiled and said, "This is a secret letter sent by the general a few days ago. This is the general's handwritten letter. Along with the secret letter, there is also the emperor's imperial edict, which is sealed by the emperor. As a former general, I was also in charge of the shepherd of Youzhou. I was in charge of the military affairs of Youzhou, Jizhou, Qingzhou, and Xuzhou. I guarded the borders and guarded against aliens from invading our territory. This edict is of great importance. Once it is spread, it may invite Yuan Shao of Jizhou to send troops to invade. Therefore I have kept it in my bosom for the past few days, and have not announced it to the public. Now that Yuan Shao is stationed on the border and intends to attack Sili, we will no longer have to worry about it. As long as the war in the Central Plains lasts for half a year, we can take this opportunity to wipe out Yan Rou Wait for the rebels to increase their strength, and they will not be afraid of the Jizhou army's invasion."

Speaking of this, Gongsun Zan seemed quite excited, his spirits were high, and he smiled, as if he, the former general in charge of the military affairs of the four states, was already in power.

If everything goes according to his wish, and when he really occupies the land of the four states, then he, Gongsun Zan, will become the most powerful prince in the world, even surpassing the Xiliang Army.At that time, aspiring to the top of the world will no longer be a dream, but it is very likely to become a reality.

But all this has a long way to go.It's not something that can be accomplished overnight, and Gongsun Zan is well aware of this.As a prince along the way, he is not yet arrogant to the point of superciliousness, and he is well aware of the difficulties in the world.But he does have the ambition to swallow the world, and he had this ambition as early as when Chen Liu joined the alliance.

In fact, the eighteen princes who attacked Dong Zhuo in the Chen Liuhui League all had the intention of taking the Han Dynasty and replacing it, but this intention was tacitly understood by everyone.Otherwise, why should the princes from all walks of life rush to form an alliance and join forces to attack Dong Zhuo?

Relatively speaking.Those who are truly loyal to the Han Dynasty will never send troops to attack Luoyang, the capital, without authorization.For example, Liu Yu of Youzhou, Liu Biao of Jingzhou, Tao Qian of Xuzhou, Liu Yao of Yangzhou and other officials of the border guarding the pastoral side did not participate in the alliance, because they were the staunch supporters of the loyal Han Dynasty.However, the battle of Chenliu Huimeng, on the surface, looks like it.The victory of the alliance of princes forced Dong Zhuo to move his capital to Chang'an; indeed.The alliance of princes was miserable.Did not take back the emperor.What about victory?

It was precisely because of the failure of the Chen Liu Huimeng that those loyal officials in the frontiers of the Han Dynasty no longer dared to act rashly.After all, the army of more than [-] lords alliance can't beat the Xiliang army, so what is the strength of Liu Yu, Liu Biao, Liu Yao and others, the Xiliang army can't do anything.

More than three years have passed.Yuan Shao in Jizhou once again mobilized an army to attack the Xiliang army.After inferring Yuan Shao's true intentions, Gongsun Zan knew without hesitation that Yuan Shao was repeating his old tricks and would join forces with all the princes of the Central Plains to send troops again.Together against the Xiliang army.Different from the previous alliance, this alliance does not include him, Gongsun Zan, and Yuan Shao will not invite him to join the alliance.

"The general wants to form an alliance with your brother?" Gongsun Fan, who had read the letter, said with a surprised expression while handing the letter to his nephew Gongsun Xu.

"Exactly." Gongsun Zan nodded lightly, and said with a smile, "The general wants to form an alliance with me. We will share wealth, advance and retreat together, and form an alliance forever. The secret letter said that if there is any change in Yuan Shao's army, we hope that we will send troops to attack Yuan Shao's rear. There will be another reward after the completion. I don't know what you think?"

Gongsun Fan thought about it and said: "It is a good thing if we can form an alliance with the General now. After all, Youzhou and Xiliang are thousands of miles away, so there is no conflict. In addition, we are currently troubled internally and externally. If we can use the help of the General The Xiliang Army has weakened Yuan Shao's strength, why not do it? Therefore, Brother Yu agrees with what my brother said, and form an alliance with the Xiliang Army to jointly deal with Yuan Shao in Jizhou!"

Gongsun Zan nodded with a smile, and turned his eyes to his son Gongsun Xu, wanting to hear how his eldest son viewed this matter, obviously with the intention of taking a school exam.

"Father is wise, and my son also agrees to form an alliance with the Xiliang Army. But how can we refuse such a thing that is beneficial to us?" Gongsun Xu has just reached the crown, his appearance and stature are very similar to Gongsun Zan, and his tone of voice is also very similar to Gongsun Zan , obviously imitating his father everywhere.

"Well, my son has grown up." Gongsun Zan stroked his beard and praised with a smile.

At this time, Guan Jing, who had previously shown fear, had returned to normal, and he pretended to be deeply suspicious and said: "My subordinates agree with our army's alliance with the Xiliang army, but how to implement the alliance is open to discussion."

"Oh? What did Chang Shi mean by that? Let me explain in detail." Gongsun Zan asked in amazement.

A smug look flashed in Guan Jing's eyes, but his expression was lowered in thought, like a wise man whose wisdom is as deep as the sea.

After hearing the question, he thought calmly and said, "Based on the current situation alone, it is really wise for my lord to form an alliance with General Li Li, and it can solve the urgent need. Once Yuan Shao sends troops to the Central Plains, then we in Youzhou will Once the difficulties are solved, we can free our hands and feet to eliminate the rebels. Based on this, we can form an alliance with the Xiliang army. There are hundreds of benefits but no harm, so why not do it!"