Chapter 35: Not close to each other
The next day, Yuan Shang led more than a hundred knights to Liyang City.

When he came, Xin Ping set up a curtain at the dock to entertain Yuan Huan.

Liyang City also sent envoys to formally invite Hei Xiong, Yuan Huan and others to enter the city for a banquet.

After several years of development, the population in Liyang City is very small, mainly composed of garrison troops. Even if there are women, they are here to do business.

However, when Black Bear and his companions were riding in the streets, they saw that many of the soldiers passing by looked worried and in low spirits.

In front of the city guard's mansion, Yuan Shang came down the steps to personally welcome Yuan Huan, and Yuan Huan took it calmly.

Xuanliang then introduced Gao Fan and Yuan Shang: "My Lord, this is my master Sun Gongxun."

Yuan Shang looked at the black bear carefully, with a smile on his face. He was a little dissatisfied with the black bear's height, which was less than six feet, but it was still young.

He was brave and decisive. He was able to seize ships and roam across the Central Plains and successfully reach Hebei, which showed that he was also very lucky.

Black Bear also looked at Yuan Shang. This man was about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, and was almost the most handsome man he had ever seen in the world. He was nearly eight feet tall, with a broad back and a strong and sturdy body.

If the man in white robe said he was Zhao Zilong in person, Black Bear would believe it.

Not to mention Yuan Shao, even if the third son in his own family looked like this and had such a temperament, he would really be unwilling not to be the heir.

My parents, grandfather, and uncles who died early in this life also obviously loved me more.

The reason is simple, she is smart and good-looking.

People generally believe that appearance is determined by the heart and that talent is given by God; a good-looking person must have better character and talent.

Yuan Shang took the initiative to step forward and asked with a smile: "How old are you?"

"The fifteenth of the year."

"Why did you kidnap Lord Yuan here?"

"I am afraid that my achievements will be looked down upon by the heroes of Hebei."

Black Bear glanced at Yuan Huan and said, "When I grow stronger, it will be as easy as taking something out of a bag to capture Yuan Gong again."

Yuan Huan just smiled gently and looked sideways at Yuan Shang: "This boy is no less fierce than the tiger of Jiangdong. Congratulations, sir."

"It's too early to tell."

Yuan Shang extended his arms to Yuan Huan and said, "It's been a long time since we last met in the Central Plains. Please come to the table and tell me about the Central Plains."

County Magistrate Gao Fan also extended an invitation to Black Bear, and the group, led by Yuan Shang, walked into the hall for the banquet.

Yuan Shang sat in the main seat, Gao Fan and Ju Hu were on the left, and Yuan Huan and Hei Xiong were on the right.

During the dinner, Yuan Shang did not talk about the war between the North and the South. He just asked for advice and news from old friends in the Central Plains.

Black Bear was eating by himself, and only put down his chopsticks to listen when the two people were talking.

After chatting for a while, Yuan Shang said, "The Cao family is tyrannical. They have imprisoned the emperor and used the righteousness of the court to conquer loyal people from all directions. The people at home and abroad have suffered greatly. Why don't you join me in defeating the Cao thieves, save the emperor from distress, and bring peace and happiness to the world?"

"I know the general's righteousness. Today's emperor has promised to make me the prime minister of Liang Anmin. I dare not refuse."

"I am indeed being abrupt. How can the emperor lack loyal and good men around him?"

Yuan Shang raised his head and drank a little, then looked at the black bear again: "You have come thousands of miles to join me, do you have any skills to teach me?"

"I come from a humble family, and my family's education is not even a fraction of what the Yuan family has."

Black Bear observed Yuan Huan's profile with a sidelong glance, then turned his head and looked at Yuan Shang: "It's just that after Brother Bofu, two internal conflicts in my clan occurred, which are similar to the recent situation in Hebei."

Yuan Shang smiled when he heard this and said, "I'd like to hear more about it."

"First of all, when my brother Bofu passed away, my brother relied on his talent to raise an army in Wucheng, but the three Wu clans preferred Yu Zhongmou. Yu Fan was a lobbyist, and in order to avoid the destruction of the clan in civil war, my father and brother handed over the military power and lived in seclusion in Wucheng, not caring about worldly affairs."

"The second thing is that the daughter of Sun Boyang of Yuzhang was engaged to Cao Zhang, the son of Cao. Sun Guoyi, Sun Boyang's brother, thought Zhongmou was weak, so he colluded with Cao, but the messenger was intercepted by Zhongmou. When I left Jiangdong, Zhongmou imprisoned Sun Guoyi, and no one knew whether Sun Guoyi was alive or dead. Now we have seized Sun Guoyi's troops and killed all his close ministers."

The brothers Sun Ben and Sun Fu were from the older brother's lineage of Sun Jian, while they pretended to be from the younger brother's lineage of Sun Jian.

"Zhongmou is mean, and my father and brother have a feud over the throne. I have always disliked Zhongmou's dark nature, so I took the opportunity to escape and seek to make a name for myself and build a career elsewhere."

Black Bear said, cupping his hands: "If Hebei is not satisfactory, I will go to Jingzhou to join Liu Jingsheng and Liu Xuande."

Yuan Shang was speechless for a moment, and naturally understood the meaning of Black Bear's words.

After Sun Ce's death, the support of the big families in Jiangdong for Sun Quan was the key factor that led Sun Jing and his son Sun Hao to give up directly.

If it comes to Hebei, whoever is supported by the local big families in Hebei should come to power.

Later, Sun Fu was placed under house arrest and his wings were clipped because he was in collusion with Cao Cao. This was to tell Yuan Shang that he must never be lenient.

If he put Yuan Tan under house arrest, Yuan Tan and his children would still have a chance to survive; if a civil war really broke out or the family was destroyed by the enemy, the whole family would die.

Yuan Shang could pretend that he didn't understand, but Ju Hu was different. Seeing that no one responded for a while, he said, "You are an outsider. Has Hebei come to this point?"

"I was thinking about the strength of Jiangdong and Hebei. My clan is humble and Jiangdong is weak, so if we fight, our clan will be destroyed. However, the Yuan family is the most powerful family in the world and Hebei is strong, so even a mediocre person dares to fight, boasting that he can conquer the world after gaining the four states of Hebei."

"So Hebei should prepare early. Cutting oneself with a knife is just like cutting off a finger."

Black Bear looked at Ju Hu and then turned to look at Yuan Shang: "The Cao family got started thanks to the support of the Yuan family. If the Cao family becomes the only one in the future, they will definitely destroy the Yuan family. The reason is that they are afraid that future generations will know about their rise to power. I heard something when I passed by Xudu, which shows that the Cao family intends to destroy your clan."

Yuan Shang was a little unhappy, but Black Bear's words were very helpful to him, so he said, "You can say whatever you want."

"I heard that Cao Mengde and the general were friends when they were young, and they had a brotherly relationship. When we passed Xudu, I heard that many famous doctors in Xudu were transferred to Chenliu. Rumor has it that there was an epidemic among the army in Chenliu. I don't know if the epidemic is true or not, but I only know that most famous doctors in the Central Plains are confined to Chenliu and it is difficult for them to cross the river to Hebei."

Seeing Yuan Shang's increasingly gloomy face, Black Bear restrained his emotions and said seriously: "The two families are already incompatible. For you, detaining a famous doctor is no different from killing your father."

Yuan Shang was a big man to begin with, and he stared at the black bear, but the black bear remained unmoved and not afraid at all.

There is really nothing to be afraid of. The Taoist soldier Lu Bu has already proved his fighting ability. If Yuan Shang dares to turn against him during the banquet, he dares to kidnap Yuan Shang!
Yuan Huan closed his eyes and his breathing became a little labored.

After a while, Yuan Shang said, "You are so brave, I have rarely seen you before."

“It does take courage to tell the truth.”

Black Bear turned his head to look at Yuan Huan and said, "Mr. Yuan, I am fifteen this year. Next year I will go to the Central Plains to rob Mr. Yuan again. Not only Mr. Yuan, but also one more person. I am not a bloodthirsty person. Please don't make mistakes, Mr. Yuan, and don't hurt others."

After saying this, Black Bear stood up and bowed to Yuan Shang: "I came to Hebei with the sincere intention of making achievements, and I am willing to follow you. However, in such a chaotic world, the king chooses his subjects, and the subjects also choose their king. If you hesitate, then I will have no choice but to stay in Hebei as a guest general and wait for the right opportunity to leave."

Black Bear asked for his leave and Ju Hu stood up to see him off.

When the two of them left the hall and walked down the stairs into the corridor, there were no guards or servants around them, so Ju Hu asked, "Why did you come to Hebei?"

"You have a grudge against Cao Cao for killing your father, and I also have a grudge against him."

Black Bear slowed down his pace and looked around, saying in a low voice: "The Yuan family is strong and wealthy. In the past, the two Yuans fought and divided the world. Now they are not as powerful as before, and they can also divide Hebei. This is not the situation I want to see. I only hope that the Yuan family will be strong and make it difficult for Cao Cao to achieve anything."

"What do you think of Mr. Qingguan?"

"He is a man of both civil and military talents, and has the potential to be a leader."

Black Bear then said, "If you hold Hebei for three years, Cao Cao will be no match for you. If you can establish yourself at your age, and Cao Cao is old, the world will be at your fingertips."

"Then are you willing to stay in Hebei?"

"It depends on your decision, sir."

Black Bear stopped and turned to face Ju Hu. Neither of them had any emotion on their faces. "The one who knows you best is always your enemy. Cao Cao recruited famous doctors to control Chenliu, which already shows the seriousness of the matter. After all, the young master and I have just met. It is an ancient truth that the distance should not separate the close ones. But the opportunity is precious, so I am afraid to indulge myself."

Ju Hu asked directly: "Yuan Tan's 3,000 elite soldiers are all in West City, how can we succeed?"

"If you are willing, you can let Yuan Tan know what was said at the banquet. If he sends people to arrest me or kill me, the general and the young master will surely be furious."

"Yuan Tan has plenty of elite soldiers under his command. How can you protect yourself?"

"Don't underestimate me. If I didn't have this ability, how could I have come this far? If you and I want to do something, how can we be hesitant?"

Black Bear looked at Ju Hu and said, "Man proposes, God disposes. We should work together."

"Then take care, my Lord. I don't need to do anything. The words here will reach the ears of Yuan Tan and Xin Ping. I am afraid that Xin Ping will be scheming and dissuade his master."

After saying this, Ju Hu sent Black Bear out the door and watched a group of soldiers escort the ox cart away.

Ju Hu turned around and went back, and saw Qian Zhao, a clerk in the general's office, in the corridor. Qian Zhao was wearing armor and had a strong figure.

The two stood in the corridor, and Qian Zhao asked, "What do you think of this man?"

"He wanted to use himself as bait to lure Yuan Tan into action."

Ju Hu observed around and said in a low voice: "He is quite conceited, just like Sun Wentai and Sun Bofu. But the relationship is not that of a kinship. Although Yuan Tan is adopted, he is still the elder of the clan. It is reasonable for him to punish this Sun family member."

"That makes sense, but it's unreasonable for him to plant spies here, young master."

Qian Zhao asked again: "What else?"

"Sun Qian said that only the enemy knows us best. Now Cao Mengde is recruiting famous doctors in Chenliu. It is impossible that he would think of the old friendship between the general and send famous doctors to Hebei, right?"

Ju Hu asked back, and seeing Qian Zhao remained silent, he bowed and said goodbye, then walked past him and entered the hall.

"My family affairs in Hebei have attracted people from Jiangdong. I am really embarrassed by you, sir."

When Ju Hu entered, he saw Yuan Shang and Yuan Huan standing up. Yuan Shang showed no emotion on his face: "My family's affairs have caused so much trouble that the people of Jiangdong can't stand it anymore. It seems that we can't delay any longer."

Yuan Huan's silence already expressed his attitude.

Seeing this, Yuan Shang felt a little relieved and arranged for Gao Fan to send Yuan Huan to the back house to rest.

After the servants cleared the table and dishes, Yuan Shang asked, "What did Sun Qian say again?"

"Nothing more, but I think there is some truth in what he said. He said that the people of Henan are wise enough to watch the situation from the outside. This can be seen from the fact that Cao Cao detained the famous doctor."

After Ju Hu finished speaking, Yuan Shang felt a little distressed: "Yuan Huan insisted on returning, he still has high hopes for Cao Cao. As for Sun Qian, how do you think we should arrange for him?"

"Since Sun Wentai and Sun Bofu, many Sun family men have led their troops and are good at fighting."

Ju Hu thought for a moment and replied, "Why not let Sun Qian recruit the exiles and accumulate his troops? This way, we can see their quality and then consider employing them."

After hearing this, Yuan Shang was also in deep thought, with an embarrassed look on his face.

It’s not a problem of authorization, but there has been little rainfall in Hebei since the beginning of spring this year, and the seedlings are already drying up.

Drought was almost inevitable. If Sun Qian was allowed to recruit exiles and poor people as his troops, he would have no food to provide them with.

The grain in the treasury is the lifeline and cannot be easily mobilized.

Even if the grain rots in the warehouse, it cannot be moved.

Once the food reserves are insufficient, Cao Cao will pounce; without food reserves, it will be impossible for Hebei to gather troops for field battle interception.

If we cannot intercept them in a field battle, Cao Cao will cause disaster and severe damage to Hebei, which will be much more lethal than a drought.

With Hebei's current population, sparsely populated counties can find food in the wild, but the problem is in the densely populated Yecheng...all the grass outside the city will be eaten up.

After thinking it over again, Yuan Shang said, "He is from Jiangdong, and his followers are good at fishing and hunting. Why not let him settle in Huangze and make a living by fishing. As for armor and equipment, I will allocate them later."

"Yes, I will go see him later."

(End of this chapter)