Chapter 503: Fighter Opportunities Are Hard to Find
It was drizzling in Yecheng.

The Zhang River between Beiye City and Nanye City was extremely turbulent. Yuan Shang, who was standing high on the tower, seemed to be able to hear the sound of the rushing torrent, which was also like his own surging emotions.

The chief clerk Li Fu brought the food and said, "My lord, Mr. Zhengnan is here too."

"He can't sit still anymore."

With a slight sigh, Yuan Shang shook his sleeves, turned around and walked out of the study.

Shen Pei had already taken his seat in the small hall outside. When he saw Yuan Shang coming out, he straightened his back and bowed, "My lord."

"Sir, what's the news from the north?"

"There was no rain at Feihukou, so the Grand Marshal's army could march unhindered."

Shen Pei placed a letter on the table, looking downcast: "Su Cheng, the guard at Wuruan Pass, dared not stop the Grand Marshal, nor did he dare to let him go. He ordered the soldiers to open the gate and then commit suicide to apologize."

"This……"

Yuan Shang went forward, picked up the letter and read it. It was from Ju Hu. After reading it, he said, "Give this man a good burial and provide him with adequate compensation."

Then they fell silent. Seeing that Yuan Shang was concentrating on eating, Shen Pei also closed his eyes to rest.

Not long after Yuan Shang finished his lunch, Li Fu cleared the tableware and took out the incense burner to light it.

The air in the hall was filled with South China Sea ambergris. Yuan Shang said, "I remember when I first met the Grand Marshal, he was humble, but his words and deeds were heroic and his vision was very high. I disliked him very much and wanted to distance myself from him and eliminate him. I also wanted to use his words to force my brother to give in. Now, regardless of whether he is a descendant of King Chen or not, my Yuan family is deeply involved in his downfall."

He considered his tone, and Shen Pei raised his hand to stroke his beard and said with a smile: "My lord is wise, this is the fundamental obstacle that makes it difficult for the two families to coexist."

As for whether taking action now would lead to Ju Hu being killed, that is already a matter of the finality.

Yuan Shang remained silent, so Shen Pei said, "Looking at the system of one hundred and one thousand households implemented by the Grand Marshal in Guanzhong and Hexi, we know that although the Xiongnu and Xianbei have submitted, they are deeply afraid and disgusted. Once the system of one thousand households spreads to the various Hu people, how can the nobles of the various Hu people rely on them? If the lord strikes with thunder, heroes from all sides will rise up. Even if the Grand Marshal is able to escape, he will not be able to do anything, let alone counterattack Hebei."

Li Fu stood aside without saying a word, but he observed the expressions of Yuan Shang and Shen Pei with sharp eyes, and it was obvious that he had his own ideas.

Yuan Shang just nodded, and when he saw Shen Pei stopped talking, he said, "The heroes of the world are afraid of this man, and although they are unwilling, they have no choice but to submit. Just like this cloudy day, if I take the lead in raising troops, and all sides respond, then the clouds will clear and the sun will appear."

"That's right, my lord, you must not delay the opportunity to fight."

Shen Pei said with a bow, "If we miss this opportunity, when the Grand Marshal subdues the people of Youzhou, Hebei will be attacked from three sides and it will be difficult to achieve anything. Besides, Cao Cao fled east to avoid the sharp attack of Guanzhong, and the Central Plains has no master. If you can drive away the Grand Marshal, the people of the Central Plains will be excited and will follow you enthusiastically. In this way, you can easily get a million soldiers and civilians from two states. From now on, why should you be afraid of Guanzhong?"

After hearing this, Yuan Shang slowly stood up with his hands on the table, his expression becoming firmer: "In this case, please mobilize the troops. I want to personally lead them north to meet the Grand Marshal."

"Here."

Shen Pei stood up and bowed deeply, and responded in a deep voice. If they lost, as the mastermind, all three clans would be doomed.
But he also saw clearly that Guanzhong's actions were clearly intended to cut off the foundation of the officialdom. The system of thousands of households would even uproot the foundations of the various Hu nobles. Doing things in such a domineering manner would surely attract many people who would dislike and resist it.

What was lacking was a heavyweight leader, and Cao Cao attacked Hongnong in an attempt to leverage these forces.

Cao Cao failed, and now only Hebei and the southeastern court are left.

After Li Fu sent Shen Pei away, he turned back and saw Yuan Shang take down the Si Zhao sword from the sword rack. He pulled it out and stroked the blade, then expressed his concerns: "I am only worried about one thing now. Since I have decided to send troops, I don't care about the gains and losses. I am afraid that my brother in Jiaozhou will follow suit after hearing the news. If so, I am afraid that I will not be able to face my father in my grave."

"My Lord, are you going to send an envoy to Jiaozhou?"

"I intend to invite my uncle to Jiaozhou. Please make arrangements and bring my uncle to see me later." "Yes."

Li Fu agreed, and Yuan Shang sheathed his sword. He stopped Li Fu, who was about to turn around, and asked, "If we fight with the Grand Marshal, will the war last until next spring?"

"This battle will benefit Yan and Zhao, so we don't have to worry about each family not trying their best."

Li Fu pondered and said, "If Liu Xuande refuses to send troops, he will surely be abandoned by the people of Youzhou. If the lord issues a letter detailing the crime of the Grand Marshal attacking Xudu and causing the emperor to die for his country, loyal and righteous people in the country will rise up. The Gongsun clan of Liaodong, the Wuhuan of the three counties, and the Xianbei in the east will also send troops upon hearing the news. If the war goes badly, Cao Cao will be frightened, and the southeast will not sit idly by."

After a pause, Li Fu continued, "This war started in Jingzhou. It may seem accidental, but it is also what people want."

"As you said, the battle with the Grand Marshal was a popular decision."

Yuan Shang affirmed this view and said, "I think it will take some time for the world to see the real intentions of the Grand Marshal. It seems that there are also talented people in the south, and they are leading the world. If I follow, the world will surely respond. But in the battle with the Grand Marshal, in addition to winning or losing, we must also consider how to deal with the emperor of the southeast."

Li Fu immediately expressed his opinion after hearing this: "Now Hebei is second only to the Grand Marshal. All parties want to form alliances, but without Hebei, it is impossible. I think that the Southeast Emperor is asking for my title of king. Without the title of king, it is difficult to integrate the prefectures and counties, and naturally it is impossible to confront the Grand Marshal for a long time. Hebei is the backbone of the world. If I don't exist, how can the Southeast Emperor and the local officials survive alone?"

"My lord, at this critical moment of life and death, you must demand the title of Wei. Do not easily accept the titles of Yan, Dai, Hejian, and Zhongshan."

Li Fu said with a long bow: "In the blink of an eye, the Grand Marshal's light troops left Feihukou, which is indeed a good opportunity given by heaven."

"That's true. Before, I wanted to raise an army, and the people under my rule had many fantasies or fears. Now they are anxious, but I think it was the Grand Marshal who did it on purpose."

Yuan Shang stood up and hung the Si Zhao sword on his waist. His expression was a little bleak, and his eyes were fixed: "Perhaps it is appropriate to raise troops now, and it is also intentional. An ordinary person would not do such a thing when marching alone through Feihu Trail, let alone him?"

Li Fu remained silent. He had also thought of this, but what was the use?

If you don't fight this time, when the opportunity arises next time, even if you want to fight, your subordinates may not dare to do so.

Yuan Shang returned to the backyard, went to the temple alone, burned incense by himself, and sat quietly before Yuan Shao's spirit tablet.

Si Zhao placed the knife across his legs and closed his eyes in meditation.

As it was getting dark, he heard faint footsteps. He turned around and saw his mother Liu standing with her hands behind her back, quietly looking at Yuan Shao's spirit tablet.

Yuan Shang stood up and hung up the Si Zhao knife: "Mother."

"Your father is such a hero, why should my son be so calculative?"

Liu stepped forward and burned incense for Yuan Shao, and then said: "In the fight for the world, if you retreat, your clan will perish. This is inevitable and no one can be blamed. Your brother seems to rely on Guanzhong. When the new dynasty is established in the future, there will be villains who seek favor and cruel officials who are not afraid of bad reputation. They will teach him a lesson."

In order to motivate her son, Liu said solemnly, "I will keep my women and children in the high tower. If the city is breached, we can just throw them into the fire. I urge you, my son, not to hesitate. Your father often regrets the Battle of Guandu. If he had led the army to attack Cao Cao's camp, why would we have been defeated at Guandu? How could the world be in this state?"

Then he turned sideways to look at Yuan Shao's spirit tablet. He vented his anger by killing all the concubines left by Yuan Shao. The reason for killing them was because these younger women were competing for his favor, right?
Because of the women's age and children, they could not influence Yuan Shang.

After all, she still cared too much about Yuan Shao.

It has been almost three years, and she no longer has any resentment towards Yuan Shao, and only feels longing for him.

But the one who is in charge of Hebei now is her beloved son, and she would not agree if Yuan Shao were to be resurrected.

(End of this chapter)