Chapter 124 No choice
Inside the tower, Zhong Yao entered alone, while Du Ji was left waiting outside the gate.

The space in the tower is not very large, and along the walls are various makeshift weapon racks.

Zhong Yao recognized the difference at a glance. These weapon racks were either filled with powerful crossbows or various unstrung bows.

In addition, there are boxes of arrows and crossbow arrows. The bows and crossbows are made of composite materials of reinforced rubber and paint, and are afraid of rain and moisture.

August is coming soon, and we need to consider moisture-proof maintenance of our weapons.

Therefore, the tower, which was not very spacious to begin with, now had barely enough space for two people to stand.

When Zhong Yao came in, he was holding a roll of cowhide map. He saw a black bear wearing a strange mask and gilded armor sitting at the top.

I immediately analyzed the black bear's height based on its sitting posture.

For example, Cao Gong liked to sit on a low Hu bed when he had a banquet, because this way he could be slightly level with everyone else.

When going out for inspection, they would take a car instead of a horse if possible, and would avoid walking as much as possible.

After all, with shoes on, Cao Gong was only a little over six feet tall.

If he came from a poor family and encountered Dong Zhuo's forced conscription of soldiers, the conscription officer would most likely show leniency to Cao Gong.

"Are you General Huya, the Black Lord of Liang?"

Black Bear was silent, so it was Zhong Yao's turn to speak. He took off his shoes and socks and sat at the table opposite Black Bear. He placed the map in his hand on the table and then bowed: "I am Zhong Yao, the current court official. I am appointed as the Inspector of the Imperial Guards to supervise Guanzhong by the order of the emperor and have been granted the title of Grand Marshal."

"I'm Black Bear. You can also call me Sun Qian, White Goose General, or White Goose Thief."

"The general was joking."

"You hold so many official positions, including being the Minister of the Interior, the Governor-General, and the Colonel. I am only a Tiger Fang General, which is a bit insignificant."

Black Bear raised his hand and placed it on the mask, then asked with a smile, "Should I take off the mask to show my sincerity?"

Zhong Yao couldn't accept Black Bear's unconventional thinking. He was a relatively serious person and he covered it up with a dry cough.

Seeing that Black Bear was really going to take off his mask, Zhong Yao immediately said, "I am not Jiang Ji. If the general treats me with sincerity, I will not care about the actions of such a villain."

"I think Jiang Ji is a good guy. I haven't heard him say anything bad after he shaved his head."

Black Bear saw that Zhong Yao had a dignified appearance, a bit like Sha Damao with a long beard. Maybe because they looked alike, he thought that their personalities were similar as well.

As he spoke, he raised his hand and took off the mask.

Zhong Yao's heart trembled instantly, but he saw two layers of white gauze covering his face under the mask.

He was not unfamiliar with the longjin. The eunuchs in the palace liked to wear the Diao Chan longjin crown; the eunuchs around the emperor would also wear the Quefei crown, which was a crown with cloth covering the cheeks on both sides.

Some variations of the Quefei crown use gauze. The original intention of the Quefei crown is to block the view on both sides so that people can only look straight ahead, implying that one should not look at anything inappropriate.

Watch less and listen less, and there will be less gossip.

The bronze mask made a crisp sound when it was placed on the table. Black Bear said with a smile, "Now, what do you want to do? As long as you give more than Yuan Tan, we can be good friends for the time being."

No respect for law.

There was no trace of the imperial court in his words.

Zhong Yao immediately felt the straightforwardness of Black Bear. This kind of person could not be fooled by the justice of the imperial court.

If he didn't say something practical, he might be beheaded, like Zhang Shi, the prefect of Jingzhao.

Zhong Yao only knew that Zhang Shi was killed in the battle, but he didn't know the specific way he died.

But if the other party dares to kill a Jingzhao Yin, he will not have any fundamental concerns about the Sili Xiaowei.

Zhong Yao immediately untied the rope of the cowhide map. This action startled Black Bear. Would this old man show his dagger?
Zhong Yao spread out the map and looked at Black Bear and said, "General, do you know what the Yuan family will do after they capture Guanzhong?"

Black Bear narrowed his eyes and said, "How can I know? But I know that a cornered dog will jump over the wall. Cao Cao's offensive is fierce and has no intention of stopping. Considering Yuan Shao's kindness to Cao Cao, if Cao Cao wins, he will definitely exterminate the entire Yuan family."

"Yes, the Yuan family is at the end of their rope, so it's inevitable that they will want to perish together with their loved ones."

Zhong Yao remembered Du Xi's guess. Even if it was just Du Xi's personal guess, he wanted to confirm this guess and turn it into Yuan's conspiracy.

Only in this way can Xu Du be allowed to delegate power to the greatest extent, and only in this way can the determination of Ma Teng and others to defend Guanzhong be stimulated.

Only by keeping Guanzhong can everyone close the door and act tyrannically; if a new emperor and a new court appear in Chang'an, everyone will have to leave their homes and go to war.

The new imperial court will breed many superiors, and these people will definitely ride on the heads of the generals in Guanzhong.

This account is easy to calculate.

Looking at the black bear, Zhong Yao said: "Linghu Shao sent by Hebei has arrived near Hongnong. His envoys have lobbied Hongnong and told the story of Yuan's desire to establish the nephew of Emperor Huan. If the new emperor is established in Chang'an, I think the general will also be controlled by others. It will be difficult for him to dominate the area like he does now."

Seeing that Black Bear was silent, Zhong Yao said, "Looking at what the general did today, didn't he see what the great general Ju Yi did in the past?"

"There is some truth to this. If Yuan Shang dares to establish a new emperor, he will be Yuan Shao's true son."

Black Bear was not in a hurry at all. He said, "I don't care about the old or new court. They are not good people. Ever since the Xudu court allowed Cao Cao to implement the system of alternate labor service, the people have lost their support."

Zhong Yao looked at Black Bear strangely and asked, "What does the system of wrong labor have to do with you?"
Just think that the black bear is expressing his rebellious intentions in order to demand better treatment.

Zhong Yao thought for a moment and said, "General, you are still young, and it is already a great promotion to be awarded the title of Tiger Fang General. If you are interested, I can make a petition to the court and have your name registered in the court, so that you can become a real general."

"Hahaha! If I were a real general, I would be standing outside the door in the wind and sun, while you sit here giving orders!"

Black Bear couldn't help laughing. He raised his hands and slapped the table and laughed out loud, until tears filled his eyes.

I tried several times to hold back my laughter and finally stopped.

Hei Xiong pounded his chest armor with his fist and tried to be serious: "I am General Huya, not a homeless stray dog. Stop telling jokes like this. If you tell jokes like this again, I will hang you on the city gate as a warning to everyone."

In Zhong Yao's opinion, the imperial court is very important and everyone plays in this house.

And now, he offered Black Bear an admission ticket, but the man refused.

It can be concluded that the person in front of us is a real traitor.

He was against Cao Cao and the imperial court in Xu Du.

In fact, this person will wholeheartedly support the future emperor of Chang'an.

So, you have to pay more.

But Zhong Yao was in a difficult situation as he could not even rebuild the city of Chang'an, let alone the north bank of the Wei River and the Fufeng area west of Chang'an.

The local commanders would not obey his orders, nor would they divide the territory and population.

At present, only seven or eight thousand people have been gathered and handed over to the military governor Ma Chao for temporary command.

Do we need to allocate troops to the black bear?

Zhong Yao has this kind of influence in Guanzhong, and it is impossible to mobilize manpower and material resources from other places. Then there is only one direction left, the title.

This was also the helpless measure taken by the Xudu court in order to win over Sun Ce when Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor.

Sun Ce's age and background meant that he was not suitable for many official positions, so he could only start with the title of nobility.

Fortunately, Sun Ce died early, otherwise the Jiangdong Army would have become the Wu Army long ago.

Now Ma Teng and Han Sui are both county marquises. If we give Black Bear a county marquisate, we will have to increase the stakes for Ma Teng and Han Sui.

For a moment, Zhong Yao was reminded of Guanzhong during the period of Li Jue. At that time, the appointment of officials was very common, and even the nephew of Li Jue's cook could become a captain.

Moreover, it is difficult for an ordinary county marquis to stabilize the black bear.

It was impossible for the entire Han Dynasty to enthrone the Marquis of Qin, the Marquis of Han, and the Marquis of Wei.

While Zhong Yao was thinking about a suitable title, Black Bear had recovered his composure and said, "If you give me a higher rank, and you and I join forces to stop Yuan Tan, then the people in Xudu will probably not be nice to us and think that you and I are exaggerating and lying about our achievements."

Zhong Yao's expression became serious. Even if he was defeated, he still had the opportunity to return to the court and continue serving. But if he was completely rejected by the court, there would be no hope for him to turn things around.

Black Bear continued, "People only feel fear when swords and axes are approaching them. Most people in the world are foolish, and only a few can truly see the danger. Wise people will not take the initiative to bring disaster upon themselves, and will often mingle with fools and cheer together."

"This is also the cause of the chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty."

"In short, don't expect to go back to the past. Without your military power, you will be of no use to the Xudu court."

Black Bear raised his hand and took off his helmet, revealing his face. He looked much more relaxed and smiled. "Now that the people of Qiaopei and Ruying are closely united, Cao Cao no longer needs you to recruit talents from Yingchuan for him. If you lose Guanzhong and let the Yuan family establish a new emperor, you will not bear such a great sin. Do you want to let Cao Gong and Xun Lingjun bear it?"

The light from outside fell on Black Bear's face. The words he spoke were gentle, but they blew through Zhong Yao's body and mind like a cold wind.

This was something he always avoided in his mind. It was obvious that Cao Cao was gathering a large army and marching cautiously to trap Liyang, so he was unable to rescue Guanzhong.

But if a new emperor is really established in Hebei, someone must take responsibility for it.

If Zhong Yao does not stand up and take responsibility, should the deceased Jingzhao Yin Zhang Shi, or Henan Yin Xiahou Dun take it?

There are also Ma Teng, Han Sui, Wei Duan, the governor of Liangzhou and others. Who in the court dares to hold them accountable?

The most dignified ending for Zhong Yao would be to take the initiative, draw his sword and slit his own throat.

But does he want to die?
It was precisely because he didn't want to die that he added fuel to the fire, because Du Xi's sudden guess was very likely to be true!
Zhong Yao could conclude that if Chang'an was captured, Yuan Shang would dare to establish a new emperor!

Yuan Shao wanted to make Liu Yu the new emperor back then, and Liu Yu was tempted and did not refuse immediately. In order to force Liu Yu, Yuan Shao ordered Cao Cao to take the initiative to attack Tao Qian.

The main battlefield was near Liu Yu's hometown. Because Liu Yu refused to become emperor, after defeating Tao Qian, Cao Cao took the initiative to send troops to kill him. All but one of Liu Yu's sons, who was held hostage in the court, was left. The rest were gone.

The Yuan family has this tradition. Some of them have proclaimed themselves emperors, not to mention establishing a puppet emperor when they were at the end of their rope.

There was a long silence. Zhong Yao was in his fifties and he still wanted to have a son to inherit the family business.

It is not easy for the Zhong family to reach this point now. It is too difficult.

If he falls and is burdened with the crime, the efforts of four or five generations of the entire family will be reduced to ashes.

In order to prevent the verdict from being overturned, the Zhong clan members will be oppressed by their fellow villagers, and the only outcome will be extinction of their family line.

But speculation is just speculation. Once it becomes reality, Zhong Yao will bear the main responsibility.

If you want to avoid it, you must come up with enough chips to satisfy the black bear. Only with the cooperation of the black bear will you have a chance to stop Yuan Tan's attack.

And only Zhong Yao has to bear this price.

This kind of self-destructive reward from the Marquis of Wu can only happen once. If it happens a second time, the responsibility will be even greater.

There is lava on the left and a valley abyss on the right. If you jump down, you may still fall into the water and save your life.

Zhong Yao had almost no better choice and could only blame the black bear in front of him for advancing too fast.

If Zhong Yao defeats Yuan Tan, no one will be able to shake Zhong Yao's prestige. Black Bear will have to fight a fierce battle with the Guanzhong coalition forces just near Lantian, let alone capture Xinfeng.

At the critical moment when Zhong Yao was about to break out of his cocoon and transform into a butterfly, the black bear bit through the cocoon shell and countless juices flowed out. Zhong Yao had no other choice.

Isn't it ridiculous to try to use a real Tiger Fang general recognized by the Xudu court to force Black Bear to surrender?

After a long silence, Zhong Yao asked dejectedly: "What do you want?"

"Let the military commander Ma Chao cooperate with me in the battle. You go to the north bank to select officers and soldiers and assign me 5,000 infantry and cavalry."

There was no smile on Black Bear's face: "You can't give me what I want, and if you do, I will be cursed for eternity, unless I can have the last laugh and put an end to this chaos."

Ma Chao's military leadership came from the authorization of Zhong Yao, who was able to calmly split up the newly assembled army before Ma Chao gained truly independent military prestige.

Black Bear raised his eyebrows and looked at the clear sky outside the door: "You let Ma Teng, Ma Chao and others guard the north bank of the Wei River. If Yuan Tan wants to attack Guanzhong, he can only cross the river from the lower reaches to Hongnong, and then enter Guanzhong through Tongguan. I will fight the battle of Tongguan."

Zhong Yao listened quietly. Black Bear continued, "During the confrontation, I will write a letter to Yuan Shang. If Yuan Tan's offensive fails, he will turn around and attack Xiahou Dun in Luoyang. When the time comes, Yuan Shang will establish a Luoyang emperor, and Cao Cao will be in trouble."

Thinking about this change in the situation, Zhong Yao vaguely grasped the thread: "Are you trying to force Cao Cao to withdraw his troops from Liyang?"

"He won't retreat. He is more afraid of Yuan Shang than anyone else."

Black Bear pointed at himself and said, "I have seen Yuan Shang. He is a very brave man, but he is only slightly inferior to me. What I mean is, you give me a marquisate, and when Yuan Tan leaves Hangu Pass to attack Luoyang, you ask Cao Sikong and Xun Lingjun to make me a duke! When the time comes, I will send troops to attack Yuan Tan and give him a beating."

He smiled at Zhong Yao and said, "In this way, we will shoulder the guilt together. What responsibility can you hold me responsible for?"

The way out was right in front of him, Zhong Yao cautiously probed: "Assist the Marquis of Han?"

"No, it sounds like the title of Chanyu of Southern Xiongnu. It also sounds like a little Wang Mang."

"What about the Marquis of Wei?"

"No, the royal family will regard me as a traitor to the country. Liu Xuande and I are allies, and I don't want to offend him."

"The Black Lord is from Liang State, so what about the Marquis of Liang?"

After Zhong Yao proposed it, the great scholar instinctively began to explain: "The kings of the Han Dynasty considered Liang as noble, and never took the position of the Taizi, like the crown prince."

In order to continue to weaken the influence of Liang State, by the end of the Han Dynasty, only three counties and more than 90,000 households were left.

Seeing Black Bear thinking, Zhong Yao continued: "Referring to Yu Gong, the ancient Liangzhou is now the land of Guanlong and Bashu."

Zhong Yao heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Black Bear nod slowly, and then he asked the most crucial question: "Can the general resist Yuan Tan?"

"I killed him like a dog."

Black Bear shouted to the outside of the door: "The distinguished guest is here, why don't you serve the drinks quickly!"

Only then did Zhong Yao feel hungry and his stomach rumble.

(End of this chapter)