Chapter 34: Shen Pei Feng Ji
Liyang.

Three transport ships were moored at the pier, and Black Bear looked out over the north shore.

There was a newly built fortress to the west of Liyang City, which formed a corner with Liyang City. Outside these two main cities, there were only some tower strongholds for surveillance.

Xuan Liang brought the documents with him to Liyang, which also attracted the attention of the garrison in the small town to the west.

The small city on the west was built by Yuan Tan, the governor of Qingzhou, and was garrisoned by Qingzhou troops; Liyang City was garrisoned by Gao Fan, the prefect of Weijun.

During Yuan Shao's serious illness, Yuan Shang stayed in Yecheng, his second son Yuan Xi guarded Youzhou, and Yuan Tan came to guard Liyang. It can be seen that the succession arrangement was already clear.

Yuan Tan's identity is rather strange, just like Yuan Shu who always scolded Yuan Shao for being born a maid.

Yuan Shao was born out of wedlock and was adopted by his uncle who died early. He became the legitimate son of his uncle's line and inherited his adoptive father's political resources, property, and connections.

The leader of the Yuan family in Yuan Shao's generation should have been his eldest brother Yuan Ji, but Yuan Shao launched a campaign against Dong Zhuo, who retaliated against the Yuan family by killing Grand Tutor Yuan Wei and Grand Coachman Yuan Ji, and Yuan Ji's lineage was cut off.

Since Yuan Shao unified Hebei, the people of Hebei looked down on Yuan Tan and liked Yuan Shang more. In order to secure Yuan Shang's inheritance rights, Shen Pei advised Yuan Shao to adopt Yuan Tan as Yuan Ji's adopted son.

From the perspective of clan law, Yuan Tan was already Yuan Shao's cousin, so naturally he lost the right to inherit the Hebei foundation.

There is also Yuan Xi, who was appointed as the governor of Youzhou three years ago. His family was left in Yecheng as hostages. He stayed in Youzhou for a long time without returning to Yecheng, and had long lost his connections in Hebei.

In Liyang City, Gao Fan asked detailed questions and Xuan Liang answered them in an orderly manner.

Gao Fan still found it hard to believe that an unknown branch of the Sun family would kill people to seize power, rebel against the Sun family with three transport ships, and even recruit sailors and soldiers by relying on the power of others. He almost bypassed most of the Central Plains water system, kidnapped Liang Guoxiang on the way, and broke out from in front of Cao Cao's camp.

But this is good news after all, and there is no shortage of reliable channels for verifying information between the Yuan and Cao families.

He immediately arranged for officials to transport grain and informed Yecheng.

Apart from anything else, the kinship between the Yuan family of Runan and the Yuan family of Chenjun is worth sending someone from Yecheng to deal with it.

Although the two Yuan families are distantly related, Yuan Huan is the leader of the Chenjun Yuan family.

Before the envoy from Yecheng arrived, Yuan Tan, who was stationed in the west city of Liyang, heard that Yuan Huan had been kidnapped. He immediately sent his adviser Xin Ping to visit and comfort Yuan Huan with wine and meat.

On the shore, the people sent by Yuan Tan set up a tent and surrounded it with cloth walls. Xin Ping and Yuan Huan sat opposite each other in the middle and drank.

Yuan Huan had not washed for a whole day and night, and had not rested well. His spirit and appearance seemed a little decadent and shabby, which aroused Xin Ping's dissatisfaction.

When toasting Yuan Huan, Xin Ping said angrily: "Sun Wentai's nephew is indeed rude by nature. He ruined the reputation of being loyal to the emperor for his own selfish reasons."

Yuan Huan laughed and said, "If the Sun family understood honor and integrity, how could they have established their current foundation in Jiangdong?"

Xin Ping smiled and nodded, and immediately promised: "You and my master are both students of Lord Xuande, and we have always been close friends. Now that you are unexpectedly in Hebei, my master will help you. When people from Yecheng come, my master will take the opportunity to send you back to the south bank."

"I will repay Yuan Xiansi's kindness one day."

Yuan Huan bowed his hands without feeling sad or happy, but he was also making a promise. It was impossible for him to work for Hebei. If he insisted on leaving, Yuan Shao and Yuan Tan would both help him.

This kind of thing is difficult for nouveau riche and poor scholars like the Sun family to understand. Such people seek profit and avoid harm, and it is difficult for them to understand loyalty and righteousness.

Only Yuan Shao and Yuan Tan would help him. Having grown up in troubled times, Yuan Shang had lost the character of a noble scholar and was more concerned with practical gains and losses.

After a simple banquet, Xin Ping personally escorted Yuan Huan back to the ship and presented him with new bedding and other daily necessities.

After all, Yuan Huan was kidnapped by the people of Jiangdong and sent to Yecheng, and Yuan Tan could not do anything like counter-robbery or abduction.

Having already deeply offended Cao Cao, where else can this group of white goose thieves surrender to except Hebei?
Therefore, Xin Ping believed in his influence. As long as he personally sent Yuan Huan back to the ship, the thieves on the ship would take good care of Yuan Huan's daily life.

On another boat, Liu Ye, with his face covered with a white scarf revealing a pair of eyes, stood in front of the guardrail and looked down at the backs of Xin Ping and his group as they left.

Black Bear came over and asked, "What do you think of Hebei?"

"Yuan Benchu ​​acted like a woman, regretting her past, and deceiving herself and others, thinking that the Yuan brothers could work together to survive in troubled times."

Liu Ye felt his chest bones itching as he spoke, and raised his hand to click through his clothes: "When Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu founded their own businesses, they still fought each other. How could he expect Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang to be friendly and harmonious? Isn't that ridiculous? If I were Yuan Shao, I would imprison Yuan Tan and clip his wings."

Yuan Tan was well-known for his generosity towards others, and it was difficult for him to use strict laws and regulations to restrain the people around him.

Therefore, Yuan Tan himself did not do much evil, but the people around him were often arrogant and did bad things, but it was difficult for Yuan Tan to make up his mind to punish these people.

As long as Yuan Tan couldn't see the evil deeds done by the people around him, it was as if they didn't exist.

Another reason is that Yuan Tan's experience of studying as a teenager made him closer to the scholars of Ruying, so the scholars of Hebei instinctively resisted Yuan Tan.

After Shen Pei made a plan, he adopted Yuan Tan to his uncle Yuan Ji, completely ending Yuan Tan's patriarchal system of inheriting Hebei.

In fact, it is not that he owes Yuan Tan anything, after all, Yuan Ji was the leader of that generation of the Yuan family.

From the perspective of clan inheritance, Yuan Tan inherited the main clan as the nephew of Yuan Ji, while Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were only minor clans.

In terms of clan law, blood relationship, and seniority, Yuan Tan is the elder of this generation of the Yuan family and can suppress Yuan Shang's lineage in terms of family tree.

So in Yuan Shao's mind, the compensation to Yuan Tan was very generous... Not killing Yuan Tan was already very generous.

But can Yuan Tan accept this favor?
Black Bear watched Xin Ping and his group go away, frowning: "It seems that Hebei is not a safe place. I don't care about the internal fighting of the Yuan family, but I don't want Cao Cao to easily take Hebei."

Liu Ye relaxed his brows and asked, "Do you want to help Yuan Shao eliminate the hidden dangers?" "Yes, I had thought about curing Yuan Shao's illness before to put an end to Cao Cao's hope. But treatment has risks. It can only last for one or two years, but it is difficult to prolong his life by ten years. After all, he is old, and Cao Cao is in his prime. Instead of treating the symptoms, it is better to treat the inside."

Black Bear smiled and said, "I thought that I would be valued by Hebei Province for kidnapping Yuan Huan and breaking Cao Cao's siege, but they actually looked down on me. In this case, you contact Yuan Shang's confidants for me. I have a way to give him a complete Hebei Province. I will tell him my conditions in person."

"Since you have no interest in Hebei, where do you want to live?"

Liu Ye was very concerned about this issue: "My family and descendants are all in Xudu. I can fake my death for a while, but not for my whole life."

"Jingnan, the four counties of Jingnan have a registered population of over two million, far more than Jingbei and Nanyang."

Black Bear looked into the distance, squinting his eyes and staring: "I am still young, so I am not in a hurry to fight. I will maintain the balance of power in the north, and when I am stronger, it will not be too late to make plans."

"In your opinion, the Yuan and Cao families have no chance of ruling the world quickly?"

"It's too difficult. If Sun Ce doesn't die, there is still a chance."

Black Bear said with a long sigh: "Compared with the late Qin Dynasty and the Xinmang Rebellion, looking at the present, we can only say that in the absence of heroes, young men become famous."

Without Xiang Yu and Han Xin, who were powerful dragons that could turn the tide and ruthless men who specialized in annihilation wars, how could the world have been unified so quickly at the end of the Qin Dynasty?

The same was true during the Xinmang period. The fighting was very fierce and many people were wiped out before they could gain a foothold.

And now, even though Yuan Shao lost 120,000 infantry and cavalry in the Battle of Guandu, the people of Hebei still chose to resist the so-called Xu Du court. Isn’t it because Cao Cao was too ruthless and slaughtered 80,000 surrendered soldiers in one breath, and the people were resistant to Cao Cao’s system of staggered service?
It would be difficult for the people of Hebei to admit defeat until they had suffered enough from the war.

After 80,000 surrendered soldiers were killed, Cao Cao had to kill at least 80,000 young and strong men from Hebei in order to make the people of Hebei temporarily put aside their hatred and calmly think about the meaning and value of their desperate resistance.

So as long as we help Yuan Shang kill Yuan Tan, Liyang alone will be enough for Cao Cao to deal with for a while.

In the evening, the official document from Weijun County Magistrate Gao Fan was delivered to the General's Headquarters in Yecheng.

Yecheng is divided into two cities, north and south, with the Zhang River flowing eastward in the middle; the city walls of the two cities are complete and independent, and there are small cities outside to control the roads, and the Zhang River serves as a satellite city.

Therefore, Yecheng’s defense system is relatively excellent. The only system stronger than Yecheng is the previous Luoyang Eight Pass Defense System.

Yuan Shao now has lost his ability to govern the country, and is being acted over by Shen Pei, Feng Ji, and Yuan Shang.

Shen Pei was the governor of Jizhou Muzhou Prefecture and concurrently served as the chief secretary of the general's office. His family was large and his army was strong. Compared with Ju Su and Tian Feng in those days, Shen Pei's character was more upright and arbitrary.

As soon as the official document from Gao Fan arrived, Shen Pei's displeasure was written on his face: "Could it be that this Sun family member thinks that Hebei is declining and needs this Liang State Prime Minister to strengthen its power?"

Then he handed the document to Feng Ji who was standing beside him and said, "Yuan Tu, I intend to release Yuan Huan, but I am worried that it will discourage people."

If everyone could kidnap county officials from the Central Plains and bring them to Hebei, there would naturally be many benefits.

Feng Ji glanced at the official document and said, "Give him a generous reward, there will be no shortage of people who will follow suit; as for Yuan Huan, I'm afraid there are people who are more eager to do a favor than you and I. If we let him go easily, he will hardly remember Hebei's kindness. Why not ask you to go to Liyang and invite him again and again? Even if Yuan Huan can't go, you can send him to Baimajin."

"In this way, the young master will have the reputation of seeking talents, and Yuan Huan's reputation of loyalty will be even better. This will benefit the affairs of both families."

Feng Ji frowned after saying this: "In any case, we cannot let Yuan Huan enter Yecheng. The lord is seriously ill, and the people of Yecheng are unstable. We must not let Yuan Huan know. And if you go to Liyang, the officials and people will think that the lord's illness has improved, which is conducive to stability."

Anyway, the distance between Liyang and Yecheng is 200 miles. With them in charge of Yecheng, Yuan Tan can't cause any trouble.

Shen Pei thought for a moment and nodded: "What should we do with the Sun family member?"

"Since he is Sun Jian's nephew, and he is so decisive and able to dominate the Central Plains, I think he is not lacking in courage and intelligence. I will appoint him as a lieutenant and send him to help fight in Hedong. If he is really a talent for a general, it won't be too late to recruit him as your henchman."

Feng Ji spoke in a relaxed tone and exchanged views with Shen Pei in a frank manner.

Shen Pei stood up, took out a scroll of bamboo slips from a shelf on the side, and spread it out to examine the list on it. This was the mobilization list for the Hedong Campaign that was about to be launched.

Hedong County was under the jurisdiction of Sizhou, but Guo Yuan, the nephew of Sili Xiaowei Zhong Yao, worked in the general's office and was about to be appointed as the governor of Hedong County.

It would be best if we could seize control of Hedong peacefully. If Zhong Yao gathers troops to resist, we will fight around Hedong.

As long as Hedong is captured, the situation in Guanzhong will be directly affected, and the generals in Guanzhong will naturally re-examine their own positions.

In order to win this battle and gain advantage on the western front, we have already begun contacting the powerful generals in Guanzhong.

The troop deployment and material preparation must be completed before June, the peak of summer; after enduring the scorching heat of midsummer and when the weather turns cooler, the Hedong Campaign must be launched.

Not only their own side, but also Cao Cao's army stationed in Chenliu to dig the Suiyang Canal had to wait until the scorching heat of June subsided before launching a large-scale war.

Shen Pei and Feng Ji made a decision. After dealing with other matters later, Feng Ji went to Yuan Shao to present today's document processing strategy, while Shen Pei went to find Yuan Shang.

Not only Yuan Shao but Shen Pei also liked Yuan Shang, who was handsome, strong and brave.

Only a person with such an outstanding appearance, both civil and military talents, and the potential to be a leader is suitable to be the leader of Hebei.

When Yuan Tan was young, the world was not in chaos. He received education from famous scholars and was virtuous, friendly and simple in character. But in Shen Pei's view, this was simply putting the cart before the horse.

Shen Pei, who has a family fortune of tens of thousands, is by no means a simple person. His life should match the level of his family fortune.

Living a simple life like Yuan Tan but failing to control the extravagance and lawlessness of those around him is like a tiger eating vegetarian food and watching jackals eat all the cattle and sheep.

What future can you have by following someone who can't distinguish between the primary and the secondary?

(End of this chapter)