Chapter 122 Zhong Yao's Journey to the West
In Huayin, the military commander Ma Chao sent two new urgent deliveries one after another.

It happened in less than two hours.

The first messenger said that the White Goose bandits attacked Xinfeng City at night, and the second one said that Xinfeng City was broken, and Jingzhao Yin Gongcao Du Ji went to lobby the Huya Army.

Ma Chao's messengers walked faster than the captives who had their heads shaved and were marching, but no matter how fast they walked, they had no horses to replenish their journey.

So when the envoy arrived in Huayin, some of the people on foot were about to reach Tongguan.

But before the people with shaved heads arrived, there were people who were faster than them!
Seeing two official documents in front of him, Zhong Yao immediately felt overwhelmed.

Fortunately, the concubine Sun was arranged to start the return journey five days ago. According to the estimated distance, she has now arrived in the Heluo area under the rule of Xiahou Dun.

"Ma Chao wants to persuade and instigate Tiger Fang General Black Bear to rebel. How confident is he?"

Zhong Yao asked, his eyes fell on Guo Yuan and Du Xi, who were reading two official documents cross-wise. Guo Yuan said carefully: "Black Bear is a cunning and cruel thief. He wanted to alienate the two Yuans but failed, so he took the two Yuans and their mother and wife hostage to escape. My sister was secretly executed by the Yuan family because of this incident, which shows that Black Bear and the two Yuans have a deep hatred."

Guo Yuan gritted his teeth and said, "It is also possible that Black Bear forced Yuan Tan to kill my sister in order to eliminate Yuan Tan's followers."

His sister is also Zhong Yao's niece.

Zhong Yao said: "When discussing national affairs, don't think about personal grudges."

Du Xi suggested: "Mr. Mingshen, the situation is urgent now. It is difficult for the state to own Guanyou. The only plan now is to prevent the Yuan family from taking over Guanlong and Hexi. With the madness of the Yuan family, if they take Chang'an and Luoyang, they will inevitably want to establish another emperor."

The line of King Pingyuan was in the hands of the Yuan family. When Yuan Shang obtained Chang'an, it was not known whether it would be effective to make the nephew of Emperor Huan the new emperor. In any case, the emperor in Xudu was no longer useful from then on.

It is possible that Liu Zhang and Liu Biao would be transformed into the King of Shu and the King of Chu under the command of the fake emperor in Chang'an, and even Liu Bei might be crowned king in one fell swoop.

After being crowned as kings and establishing a system, these three people who received the title of king could reasonably purge dissidents within the country, and the local scholars could also feel at ease to be loyal to them.

There will be essential differences in combat effectiveness and desire for advancement before and after becoming king!
Put yourself in his shoes. If Yuan Shang really established a new emperor in Chang'an and issued an order to confer titles of nobility upon the Liu families in various places, who would be exempted?
Even if Liu Fu, the governor of Yangzhou, was hit on the head with the golden seal of King of Huainan, it is hard to say whether Liu Fu would hesitate or not, but the scholars and powerful people of Huainan would be excited.

The north bank of the Huai River has the staggered labor system, so how long can the south bank of the Huai River be delayed?
Therefore, as long as Yuan Shang dared to establish a new emperor in Chang'an, the Liu family in the world would naturally be in the same group with the new emperor in Chang'an; with the response of the Liu family all over the world, the fake emperor would also become the new emperor.

Unless the Emperor of Xudu dares to enthrone the Liu clan as kings, but would the court of Xudu dare to do so?
The princes of the Han Dynasty have always been strong competitors of the gentry in various places, especially in the Guandong area, which has vast land and rich resources, and there are countless marquisates and kingdoms.

There were four kingdoms in Yuzhou alone, and the rest were Yingchuan County and Runan County. Why were the scholar groups in these two regions so powerful?
It’s because he escaped the suppression of the princes!
How did the princes end up?
It was the Yellow Turban Army. When the Yellow Turban Army swept through various places, all the princes and kings who passed by were destroyed!
If Emperor Lingdi had insisted on not giving up power, all the princes in Guandong would have been killed by the Yellow Turban Army!
Twenty years have passed. Things that were not clear back then, are they still not clear now?

Don’t the descendants of the princes have any intention of taking revenge on the scholars?
See how the black bear takes revenge, traveling across eight states in half a year!

From a few hundred White Goose Bandits, they have grown to tens of thousands now!
When Yuan Shang was at the end of his rope, he frantically established an emperor to free the world from the shackles of the Liu family. Then the emperor of Xudu seemed a bit out of place.

Who represents the orthodoxy of Yan and Han, the emperor in Xudu City whose orders are not issued outside the palace, or the new vassal kings with the surname Liu in various places?

As long as any one of these new princes has the last laugh, the Yuan family will be loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty, and all the people in Xudu now will be traitors!

For all the descendants, there are invisible obstacles to entering officialdom.

Du Xi's words infinitely elevated the importance of Chang'an City.

As long as the emergence of a new emperor is prevented, all kinds of extraordinary expedients are appropriate and reasonable.

Zhong Yao was shocked when he heard this, and after thinking about it carefully, he became even more frightened.

We must not give Yuan Shang any chance to divide the world. The nephew of Emperor Huan was in the hands of Yuan Shang, and then he could take either Chang'an or Luoyang.

If Chang'an is taken, one can worship Emperor Gaozu, and if Luoyang is taken, one can worship Emperor Huan. As long as one can worship the tombs of all the emperors, the only thing missing to become emperor is the imperial seal.

By that time, all parties would be besieging the Central Plains, and I'm afraid Sun Kuaiji of Jiangdong would also raise an army to support the king; he would try to raise the price like Sun Ce did and get a heavyweight title like the Marquis of Wu.

Regardless of whether Yuan Shang has the intention to drag all the scholars to death with him, we must not give him the opportunity to do so!

If Yuan Shang really removed the shackles from the Liu family, Zhong Yao couldn't imagine how the future would develop.

The scholar finally broke free from the shackles, but was beaten down again and his spine would be pulled out.

As for Guo Yuan, he was also frightened by the terrible scene described by Du Xi.

At this time, giving Ma Teng and Han Sui treatment such as establishing a government office is already a trivial detail. Now we must do everything we can to stabilize Black Bear and prevent him from continuing to stir up trouble in Guanzhong.

Only by working together, Ma Teng and Black Bear can resist Yuan's invasion.

Du Xi only had a flash of inspiration, and even he was frightened by this terrible possibility.

Given the drought and locust plague in Hebei this year, the possibility of drought next year still exists.

Yuan Shang and the scholars of Hebei would rather die with honor than live in disgrace, and they will give the Central Plains a severe blow before they are finished.

Maybe he can continue to shine as a loyal hero of the new court in Chang'an and cause trouble for the scholars in the Central Plains.

Zhong Yao stood up and paced, saying, "No words can persuade Black Bear now. I want to see him in person. To avoid the court's contempt, you two should set out immediately and go to Chenliu and Xudu respectively to explain the current crisis to Cao Sikong and Xun Lingjun."

In order to avoid failing to attract Cao Cao's attention and also to add legitimacy to their subsequent actions.

Zhong Yao continued, "Put the blame on the northern envoys for Yuan's plan to establish a false emperor."

During this period, envoys from Hebei also appeared in Hongnong County. These envoys were Linghu Shao, the new governor of Hongnong County recommended by Yuan Shang.

The envoys who appeared in Hedong were sent by Cui Yan, the governor of Hedong County.

As a county governor, he was also constantly expanding the county government's team. Many scholars could not resist being wooed and secretly defected to him. Those who arrived first and had meritorious service were often granted important positions.

In the future, when the new county governor has gained a firm foothold and has to gradually replace the county magistrates below, he will naturally give priority to promoting the heads of various departments in the county government.

Therefore, it was difficult to catch the northern envoys who appeared in Hongnong, because most of them were local scholars. Some of them might have been loyal to the Sili Xiaowei yesterday, but they might have been persuaded overnight to become the new county governor Linghu Shao's men. Seeing Zhong Yao say this, Du Xi and Guo Yuan agreed at the same time. After all, this was just Du Xi's guess.

If it is said that it was a lobbying plan by the northern envoys, then it means that Yuan Shang was already planning this.

Then, Zhong Yao, the governor of Guanzhong, would have more room to deal with emergencies. Even if it was excessive, the Xudu court would accept it.

As long as Chang'an is prevented from falling into Yuan Shang's hands, everything will be worth it.

In return, Du Xi and Guo Yuan quickly escaped from this whirlpool.

After deciding on the main theme, Zhong Yao discussed it in detail with the two men.

At this time, the chief clerk who was guarding outside the gate came in and said, "Mingsir, Tongguan has been lost."

Zhong Yao's brows darkened, and he turned around and told Guo Yuan and the others, "Don't hesitate, set off quickly."

The two men bowed and walked away quickly. Zhong Yao took the wooden casket handed over by the chief clerk Yang Guang and said, "Mingsir, the guards of Tongguan were scattered, and the enemy general Gan Ning attacked and seized the empty city."

Zhong Yao took the wooden casket, which was written in a sloppy handwriting at a critical moment, and asked, "How are the grain, fodder and equipment inside the pass?"

Yang Guang shook his head: "I don't know. The messenger is tired and is resting. I will go and pick him up now."

"Let's go together."

Zhong Yao held the wooden casket and walked out of the door. Yang Guang followed behind him, shaking his head in distress, looking a little at a loss.

After hearing what he had just heard, he was ready to go back and discuss it with his brother Yang Liang. They were the sons of Weiwei Yang Qi. In the early years of Jian'an, in recognition of Yang Qi's contribution in protecting the emperor's eastward migration, Yang Liang was posthumously conferred the title of Tinghou.

The cousins ​​Yang Biao and Yang Qi joined forces with other officials to try to force Cao Cao to give up power at the banquet. When Cao Cao noticed this, he turned around and left.

Various revenges followed. Yang Biao returned home and Yang Qi was secretly executed.

Yang Liang held the title of Marquis of Youting and was not suitable for recruitment, so his younger brother Yang Guang was recruited by Zhong Yao.

As Zhong Yao's former official and holding such a trusted position as Chief Clerk, Yang Guang could not betray Zhong Yao. However, it was related to the rise and fall of his family. Moreover, in terms of hatred, his hatred for Cao Cao was not much less than that of Black Bear.

He quickly followed Zhong Yao to the front yard, and saw the messenger at the gate holding a ladle and drinking, then slumped on the ground, panting.

When Zhong Yao approached, the messenger was about to kneel down and ask, "How was Tongguan lost?"

"Xinfeng fell, the defenders fled, and the commander was unable to stop them."

The messenger half-knelt on the ground with his hands propped up, "Many soldiers scrambled for food and fodder, and the captain ordered us to set fire to the pass, which attracted the fleeing soldiers to chase us, and the captain was seriously injured. Many of the remaining people among us also dispersed."

"So, all the supplies in Tongguan have fallen into the hands of the enemy?"

Zhong Yao asked, and the messenger thought for a moment and said, "I have been out of the city for 20 or 30 miles, and I have not seen any fire or smoke from the city."

"Got it, go down and have a good rest."

Zhong Yao gave the order, and immediately two guards came forward, carried the tired and sleepy messenger aside.

Yang Guang followed Zhong Yao and asked, "Sir, are you ready for the carriage?"

"Go ahead. I need to sort out the books and classics."

After saying this, Zhong Yao turned around and walked quickly back to his office hall, where he ordered the clerks he had called along the way to start packing things for easier loading. The things contained mainly population and registration data of the various counties in Sili.

It has been counted over the years and also includes the main talent information of each county.

If he took these to see Black Bear and Ma Teng, even if they couldn't come to any conclusion, Black Bear would not harm his life.

Just as many people speculate that Hei Xiong was born with the surname Liang Peiguan, Zhong Yao also holds this view.

From the fact that he kidnapped Yuan Huan, took a fancy to Cai Bojie's youngest daughter and made an appointment to rob her next year, it can be seen that Black Bear is a particular person.

Later, when Jiang Ji, the deputy governor of Yangzhou, was arrested, he was just shaved his head and let the matter go. This shows that this man would not kill anyone unless necessary. He held the power of life and death and was on the run. He had a bottom line compared to most people.

As for the various information about shaving and cutting hair coming from Jingzhou, Zhong Yao believed that it was just similar to the Red Eyebrow Army, which was deliberately using this to enhance its reputation.

He had no grudge against Black Bear, and had been managing Guanzhong since Jian'an. Even if he had done something evil, what did it have to do with Black Bear who was far away in Liangpei?
So Zhong Yao was not panicked at all. As long as it was confirmed that Black Bear was from Liang Peiguan's family, then Zhong Yao had nothing to panic about.

He was not panicking, but all the officials and guards in the Sili Xiaowei office began to panic.

By the time the dozen or so clerks gathered around him came out carrying heavy bamboo slips bags, the officials in the office were already packing their bags.

Some of them hurried back in a panic after hearing the news and met Zhong Yao. Zhong Yao did not scold them, but just nodded slightly and let the officials who were waiting for punishment leave.

Some officials were waiting at the door with bags on their backs, swords on their waists and spears in their hands.

Some subordinates left without saying goodbye, and the streets outside the government office were already deserted.

Zhong Yao watched the bags of bamboo slips being loaded into the car before he got in with peace of mind. Yang Guang drove for him.

There was no extra words exchanged between them. Five carriages moved forward in a line, and more than thirty officials and guards followed on foot, carrying their luggage.

When they left the Huayin city gate, the soldiers guarding the gate all breathed a sigh of relief.

Since Zhong Yao left on his own initiative, most people were able to escape the disaster.

(End of this chapter)