Chapter 227 Shangshu Xingtai
In Anyi, Black Bear, who had just returned from patrol, was flipping through the accumulated official documents and military books.

A letter from Guo Tai was placed in front of him, making him fall into deep thought.

Whether or not to accept the official title and title offered by the Xudu court is the most important and critical issue at present.

This is a question of route, although everyone's ultimate goal is similar and they all reach the same destination through different paths.

But if you take a different path, you will have different partners.

In the official document, Guo Tai made a tactful exhortation, hoping that Black Bear would accept the title bestowed by the court in Xudu, accumulate strength, and then break away from the court and work on his own after gradually growing stronger.

It was not that he was afraid of Cao Cao's expedition, but he had to give an explanation to his internal subordinates such as Ma Teng, Yang Qiu, and Duan Wei, and he also had to maintain the face of his allies.

Under the pressure of survival and the might of Cao Cao, everyone united to form an alliance under the righteous cause of the Secret Edict and the fight against the traitor Cao Cao.

If we refuse to accept the title from Xu Du, our allies will be in a very passive position.

Too many people care about this issue but dare not express their views rashly.

Guo Tai had no concerns in this regard, because the word "traitor" was written on his face.

Even such a senior rebel advised himself not to waste time. Black Bear walked outside to feel the cold, grabbed a handful of snow and rolled it into a ball in his hand.

It seems that I have really been wasting time.

So many people pretended to dissuade me, and many even tried to stir up my rebellious mentality.

If they really reject it completely, then the Guanlong compromising and neutral factions will have no room to pretend to be confused.

They have to make a choice between black and white.

The two counties of Taiyuan and Hedong are lessons from the past. During the periods of Wang Yi, Qian Zhao and Cui Yan, the number of soldiers in the counties was no more than 5,000.

The powerful people united in rebellion and easily dispatched an army of 30,000.

The quality and quantity of armor and equipment are close to those of the Huan and Ling periods.

The million-strong Black Mountain Army huddled in the Taihang Valley because they could attack Yuan Shao in the east. But could they not attack Hedong and Taiyuan in the west?
Feeling the coldness of the snowball in his palm, Black Bear said to the guard on duty, "I want to see Ju Hu."

"Here."

A personal soldier turned around, saluted, took a few steps back, and then walked away.

The black bear turned around, threw the snowball, and walked into the pavilion.

Ju Hu is now following Black Bear's central army as Hebei's plenipotentiary envoy. After the third batch of migration teams from Hedong sets off, Black Bear will lead the central army north to join up with other armies.

The central army temporarily stayed in Hedong for the convenience of getting food.

The grain stores of the rebel families in Taiyuan were also confiscated and transported, but grain must be left for military use, and grain must also be left for the officials and people of Taiyuan to eat next year.

Hedong was different. It was too close to Guanzhong and easy to suppress. Also, Shang Yao, a native of Taiyuan, was ruthless, so almost all the three clans of rebellious and powerful people were within the migration range.

Hedong, which originally had more than 30,000 registered households, is estimated to have more than 20,000 registered households after this incident.

However, the number of people who moved to Guanzhong and were resettled reached more than 50,000 households.

After the war is over, we will conduct a thorough investigation of the remote areas in the mountains and wilderness of Hedong next year and will be able to register at least several thousand more households.

In the attic, Black Bear didn't have to wait long before Ju Hu came quickly.

After taking off his boots downstairs, Ju Hu walked briskly.

When he arrived, he saw Black Bear writing with a pen. After he finished writing, Ju Hu stepped forward and saluted: "General."

"You also know that Cao Cao sent an imperial envoy to appoint me as the General of Zhenbei, with the title of the Three Officials, and the Governor of Yong, Liang, You, Bing and Ji."

Black Bear sat up straight and said in a calm tone: "Your and my families are allies. No matter how powerful the General of Zhenbei is, he cannot compare to the Great General. And I will be going to war soon, and when I return, I will have made great achievements. So I want an official position that is not lower than the Great General, so that when I face Cao Cao in the future, I will not be inferior to him."

Ju Hu sat upright, and when he heard Black Bear say this, he breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as Black Bear still recognizes the Han Dynasty, everything can be discussed.

As for the matter of conferring and accepting official titles, it is actually very strange.

Many people desperately hope that Black Bear will accept, and many people also hope that Black Bear will refuse.

If the black bear accepts, then there is a way to accept it. If it refuses, then try to strangle it. If you can’t strangle it, then put pressure on it until the black bear accepts.

Ju Hu almost watched Black Bear start his business from humble beginnings, and he knew very well that if Black Bear had adopted the strategy of a bandit, why would he have to roam around everywhere?
It was because Black Bear initially gave up the bandit strategy that he came to Hebei. When Hebei was not suitable, he went to Jingzhou. When Jingzhou was not suitable, he went to Guanzhong.

If Black Bear's Guanzhong base is ruined, Black Bear gives up business and turns to bandit tactics... then no one can stop him.

In the end, only ashes will remain.

After listening carefully to Black Bear's request, Ju Hu suggested: "Given the general's merits, the title of General Zhenbei is indeed a bit low. I think that only the Grand Marshal can show the general's special merits."

Black Bear frowned slightly after hearing this, as there were very few suitable official positions.

The position of Grand Marshal is the same as that of General and Prime Minister, and is the highest official rank, higher than the Three Dukes.

Seeing the change in Black Bear's expression, Ju Hu asked, "General, are you dissatisfied?"

"Let me think about it."

Black Bear pondered over this official position, which was as grand and empty as the general.

Unlike General Huya and General Zhenbei, the troops under his command can be concentrated under a clear number, which can increase internal cohesion.

Just like Cao Cao’s army, all external parties belonged to the Han Dynasty. In order to distinguish them, only Cao Cao’s army could be called Cao’s army.

The same problem also existed between Yuan Shao and his son Yuan Shang in Hebei, and the troops under their command were collectively called Yuan's Army.

This is the disadvantage of the post of Grand Marshal. It is not really a disadvantage, as it can bind the army to the Black Army. If nothing unexpected happens, after accepting the post of Grand Marshal, the army under his command will be called the Black Army.

As for the benefits, there are many, but Black Bear thought of one key point.

The previous Grand Marshal was Li Jue, who was ranked to the right of the Three Dukes. He was also in Guanzhong. By using the title of Grand Marshal to establish a government, wouldn't that mean he was tied to Li Jue?
But it doesn't matter, the loss of this little bit of goodwill is not a big deal. Black Bear thought about it and said, "The Grand Marshal is fine, but the General has the Shangshutai affairs, I can't do without it."

“This is what should happen.”

Ju Hu smiled broadly: "My master and the general are both pillars of the country, and they hold the position of Duke, so they should be in charge of the Shangshutai together."

"But the Shangshutai is in Xudu."

Black Bear had no smile on his face: "In this case, I will ask Xu Du to set up Shangshu Xingtai in Hebei and Guanzhong respectively."

"Shangshu Xingtai?"

"Yes, just like the emperor is here."

Black Bear no longer concealed: "The Secretariat is in Xu, and the general and I cannot go to Xudu to supervise the Secretariat. It would be better to set up separate offices in Hebei and Guanzhong, and appoint Shangshu Pushe, Shangshu, and Shangshu Lang to handle the affairs of the Secretariat."

Seizing personnel power from the Xudu court is Black Bear’s bottom line.

Otherwise, if I accepted the official titles given by the Xudu court, this group of people would be able to bypass me and grant official titles to the people below them.

Recruiting scholars and selecting filial and honest officials every year, this kind of personnel interaction between the local area and Xudu will continue to reduce its influence.

The regional influence is 100%, the court has more and you have less.

Set up an external Shangshutai, and follow the Xudu court's tricks. In any case, it is the credibility of the court that is undermined.

However, Black Bear's proposal seemed a bit fanciful to Ju Hu, so he tactfully advised him, "General, your idea is very clever, how could Cao Cao agree to it? If Cao Cao agrees to this, the officials of Xudu will also stop it."

"This is my sincerity. If Cao Cao doesn't agree, I will have to discuss it with him face to face. I will find whoever opposes it."

Black Bear was calm, as if he was telling a matter of course: "Next, I only want to use troops against the various Hu people. I am not interested in the disputes in Hebei and the Central Plains. Liu Xuande has recently organized a coalition to attack Cao Cao next year. If Cao Cao agrees, I don't mind standing by and watching."

"Uh……"

Ju Hu smiled awkwardly and felt a little embarrassed: "General, you are disregarding the alliance and negotiating peace with Cao Cao, and you are telling this in front of other ministers. Isn't that a bit too much?"

"I am only telling the truth. Besides, Cao Cao is very suspicious. If I say I will not send troops, will he believe me? How dare he believe me?"

Black Bear didn't care at all. Now that he had the strength, he was not afraid of offending anyone by telling the truth.

There were even fewer things that were worth his anger, and he calmly said, "Grand Marshal and Shangshu Xingtai, these are the only two things. You submitted a petition to Xudu to commend my merits and ask for a title, and I came to talk to Shangshu Xingtai, which will be of great benefit to both families."

Taking the position of Shangshu Xingtai, he is basically only one step away from becoming a king and establishing his own system.

Ju Hu's priority was the six counties in Youzhou that followed Xianyu Fu. For Hebei, it was not important whether there was a Shangshu Xingtai or not.

The key lies in the Xudu court. Abandoning the sacredness of the Shangshu Tai will greatly damage the morale of the people of Youzhou.

Besides, if Black Bear wants these conditions, he can negotiate with Xu Du unilaterally.

Pulling him in now and letting Hebei intervene is just to maintain the alliance relationship.

After a brief consideration, Ju Hu asked, "When Lord Xuande attacks Cao Cao next year, will you really just sit back and watch?"

"For such a lively event, I must get close and watch."

Black Bear smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will make Xiahou Dun in Luoyang unable to move."

"With the general's words, I will send a letter to Yecheng to inform my master."

Ju Hu bowed as he spoke, and Black Bear also bowed. They looked at each other as if they were swearing an oath.

After seeing off the depressed swan, the black bear felt inexplicably melancholy.

They were afraid that Liu Bei would perish, and they were also afraid that Liu Bei would eliminate Cao Cao in one battle and become the leader of the Xu Du court.

His premonition in this regard became stronger and stronger. When Cao Cao was unable to unite everyone and protect all interests, he might be cleared out and replaced by someone who could unite all parties.

For example, Liu Bei was really afraid that he had frightened the Ruying scholars, causing them to collude with Liu Bei and secretly kill Cao Cao inexplicably.

In general, Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun are easier to fight.

The army under Cao Cao's command lacked fighting enthusiasm and needed to be urged by military law and whips before they would take up swords and fight.

Liu Bei was different. If he were to annex Cao Cao, everyone from the surrendered generals to the surrendered soldiers would actively respond to the attack.

Besides, it would be much easier to have someone like Liu Bei as a neighbor or friend.

It has to be pressed.

We cannot give Liu Bei the opportunity to make a gorgeous transformation. Whether or not you can win is one thing, but people should live an easy life. There is no need to make things difficult for yourself.

Having made up his mind, Black Bear immediately wrote a letter to Ma Teng.

He hoped that his good wife, the father-in-law, could mediate and express his dissatisfaction to the court in Xudu.

Is it possible for a General Zhenbei to behead 100,000 people?
Make the route issue clear first to prevent the Guanlong scholars who are waiting and watching from collectively defecting.

Keep these people stable, and wait until the war against the Qiang and Hu in the north is over, and then slowly trim them down.

Especially Du Ji, he hasn't expressed his opinion yet. Does he have to wait for me to come and invite him?
I always feel that when the war ended and they returned to Guanzhong to hold a celebration banquet, in addition to the soldiers who participated in the war, other local county officials, representatives of the three elders, and the like may have harbored a rebellious heart.

It is not known whether Zhong Yao has made up his mind. If Zhong Yao is willing, the Yingchuan people will naturally split off and work for him.

It doesn't matter whether the people of Yingchuan assist or not. What is needed is to stabilize Zhong Yao and prevent this old man from causing trouble.

In addition, even if Zhong Yao and Xu Du were separated, it would still be a channel for dialogue.

Now we have to guard against the court in Xudu, Zhong Yao, Liu Ye, Wei Duan, and also our allies in Hebei and Jingzhou.

During the expedition, we must also be vigilant against the Huns.

The more you develop, the fewer people you can trust.

(End of this chapter)