Chapter 85 People’s Mind Changes
In Yecheng, Yuan Shao's funeral was simple and quick.

Outside the western suburbs, Yuan Shang lived in a thatched hut and wore simple clothes to observe mourning.

Shen Pei and Feng Ji were stationed in Yecheng to handle official business. Yuan Shang's chief clerk Li Fu would bring copies of official documents to see Yuan Shang every day.

As soon as the news of the great victory at Bowangpo came, Feng Ji and Li Fu rode their horses to see Yuan Shang.

When they arrived, Yuan Shang was wearing a short, coarse cloth shirt and eating leftovers.

During the mourning period, it is recommended to eat cold food and not to light a fire and eat too rich food.

Yuan Shang cooked a meal every morning and ate the leftovers at night.

Or his mother Liu would prepare snacks, vegetarian dishes, etc. and send them to Yuan Shang so that Yuan Shang could have a formal cold food meal.

Over the past half month, Yuan Shang has become noticeably thinner, and the outline of his cheekbones can be seen.

Every night, I felt that the ghosts of my sisters-in-law Guo, Zhen, and my wife Liu were crying outside the thatched cottage.

He knew even more clearly that after the three-month mourning period was over, it would be his mother's turn to kill all the concubines.

In order to avoid any hidden dangers, he had to uproot the clans of these women.

It is one thing to eliminate hidden dangers, but it is also necessary to use this to establish authority in order to obtain enough money and food to support the army.

Fierceness is also power.

During this period, murderous intent was brewing in his heart, and he was disturbed by nightmares from time to time, which caused Yuan Shang to lose appetite and become noticeably thinner.

This kind of thinness, in the eyes of officials, is a reflection of pure filial piety.

The hard life of mourning also tempered Yuan Shang's character.

He calmly read the battle report of Bowangpo, with no joy on his face, and only said: "Liu Bei's move is just to protect himself. All the heroes in the world have room to surrender, except for my Yuan family and him."

Yuan Shang's eyes fell on the content related to the black bear in the battle report, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up: "This white goose thief has no respect for the law. He has been in Jingzhou for about a month and has won over heroes like Gan Ning to help him."

Feng Ji sat cross-legged beside him and asked, "My Lord, should we send an envoy to appoint an official to urge this man to send troops to Guanzhong?"

"Don't rush. Wait a little longer. Something unexpected may happen in Jingzhou."

Yuan Shang frowned in thought. Li Fu, who was sitting cross-legged on the other side, glanced at Yuan Shang's face and felt that everything in the thatched cottage served as a backdrop to his master's radiant face.

After Yuan Shao's death, Yuan Shang began to grow a beard, although it was only a thin layer of moustache, which made him look even more handsome and majestic.

"This man came to Hebei under the name Sun Qian, and was called Black Bear when he went to Jingzhou. When he arrives in Guanzhong in the future, he may change his name again."

Yuan Shang shook his head and said, "I am more and more certain that this man's Liang Pei accent is difficult to change. He must be from Pei, a well-known family, and has a grudge against Cao Cao."

"My lord, are you saying that this man will cause chaos in Jingzhou after his great victory at Bowangpo?"

“There is such a guess.”

Yuan Shang narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Liu Xuande still has many soldiers from Hebei and Runan under his command. I want to send a letter to transfer them to Black Bear's command. This way, when Black Bear enters Guanzhong, there will be spies in his army and they will not be passive."

We are allies, and it is very clear whether the troops are given or borrowed.

The troops that can be provided often do not have any family problems.

Yuan Shang looked at Feng Ji and asked, "Who among the people of Nanyang can be the envoy?"

"There is a man named Chen Zhen who has traveled to Jingzhou several times and is good at negotiation."

"Chen Zhen Chen Xiaoqi? I have some impression of this person as well."

Yuan Shang asked again: "My father killed General Huya Liu Xun in the past. Is General Huya's seal still there?"

This is a general's seal that has been passed down for a long time, and it is definitely not a general's seal that was carved temporarily by one party.

The Tiger Tooth Camp was stationed in Chang'an and its soldiers were composed of good families from the three prefectures.

The Jingzhao Huya Camp was a standing military camp in Guanzhong during the Later Han Dynasty and had a great influence in the region.

"The general's seal is still there. My lord, do you want to give it to the White Goose Thief?"

"That's exactly what I meant. If I give him this seal, he will seize the opportunity to attack Guanzhong."

Yuan Shang thought about it and added, "Appoint Chen Zhen as the Chief of Tiger Teeth, and select more than ten elite soldiers from Nanyang and Guanzhong to follow Chen Zhen into Jingzhou. With them and hundreds of soldiers, they will be enough to attract the attention of the White Goose Bandits."

Seeing that Feng Ji did not object, Yuan Shang said, "Liu Bei is a great hero of the time, and the officers and soldiers he borrowed in the past were inevitably swayed by him. Warn Chen Zhen that the officers and soldiers he borrowed can decide whether to stay or leave, and must not make enemies with Liu Bei."

"Yes, I will explain this to Chen Zhen in person."

Yuan Shang raised his hand to touch his chin and asked his attendants in embarrassment: "This little thief Bai Goose is so brave and fierce that he was able to defeat the armies of Xiahou Dun and Yu Jin. He is quite like Sun Bofu. What if I take a girl of marriageable age from my clan and marry her to him?"

Feng Ji refused: "My Lord, this man's family background is unclear. If he is from a humble and lowly family, wouldn't it dampen the spirit of Hebei?"

Yuan Shang turned to look at Li Fu, who was considering him: "My lord, a hero is not judged by his origin. From what I have seen of the White Goose Bandit, even if he is not a member of the upper class, he is from a well-known family. He is also a young hero, how could he disgrace your family?"

Feng Ji advised again: "My Lord, if you do this, doesn't it mean that there is no successor in Hebei? If you insist on marriage, you can take in a daughter from another family."

Seeing that Feng Ji was willing to take a step back, Yuan Shang nodded slowly and said, "Then I will adopt a girl from another family. Lord Yuan Tu will search for a suitable girl for me, and I will ask my uncle to adopt her as my successor."

Feng Ji said again: "It is not appropriate to publicize the marriage for the time being. It will not be too late to do it after the war in Guanzhong is settled. Otherwise, the White Goose Bandits will be defeated, which will only make people laugh and will be disadvantageous to the lord."

"That's fine."

Yuan Shang readily agreed and asked Feng Ji with a smile: "Mr. Yuan Tu also knows the habits of the White Goose Bandits. What do you think will happen to Jingzhou after this great victory at Bowangpo?"

Feng Ji thought with a frown, and expressed his own views: "The people of Jingzhou are brave by nature. Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, they have been defeated many times by foreign enemies. Young people are ashamed of this, and they hate Liu Biao for being old. Therefore, when Liu Bei arrived in Nanyang, the people of Jingzhou rushed to make friends with him, probably because they admired Liu Bei's bravery and perseverance." "Now at Bowangpo, Liu Bei and Black Bear defeated the larger force with a smaller one and defeated the elite soldiers of the Central Plains. This must have made the people of Jingzhou excited and encouraged."

Feng Ji looked at Yuan Shang and said, "As you expected, Jingzhou will soon be in trouble."

Yuan Shang glanced at Li Fu, who smiled modestly, "My lord, in the land of Jingchu, there has been a tradition since ancient times of defeated generals committing suicide out of shame. The people of Jingchu are fierce and stubborn by nature, and their dispositions and customs are not something Liu Biao can change."

People in Jingzhou are not afraid of death, but they are afraid of living a useless life and dying a meaningless death.

"According to what you said, I'm beginning to hope that things will change in Jingzhou."

Yuan Shang smiled and said that if Jingzhou could get rid of its chronic problems and become stronger, Hebei would be the first to benefit.

Jingzhou has a minimum population of three million, a number that makes Cao Cao tremble.

If a hundred thousand troops from Jingzhou marched out of Wankou, even if they only withdrew after a few months of confrontation, Cao Cao would be badly hurt if he didn't die.

~~
In Xiangyang City, Sun Qian first arrived at a farm in the eastern suburbs to pay a visit to Xu Si, who had settled down there.

Xu Si was from Xiangyang and was known as a patriot.

He once served Cao Cao and served as a Zhonglang Officer during his time in Yanzhou. He cooperated with Chen Gong and Zhang Miao to welcome Lu Bu to Yanzhou.

Later, he followed Lu Bu between Xuzhou and Huaihai, and returned home after Lu Bu's defeat. He was one of the few old acquaintances of Liu Bei in Jingzhou.

The weather was hot, and when Sun Qian came looking for him, Xu Si was not at the village.

With the help of someone, Sun Qian found Xu Si taking a bath by the Tan River.

Xu Si, with his upper body bare, built a dam with several villagers in the Tan River to store water. They all wore calf-nose pants and lay in the river, floating and chatting.

When Sun Qian arrived, he heard Xu Si telling the story of Qin Yilu loudly from afar, and the nearby villagers were fascinated by it.

Although the villagers were crude, they were Xu Si's childhood companions after all. They were all fascinated when listening to Xu Si telling stories about Mrs. Du's appearance and charm.

As Sun Qian approached, he heard Xu Si wave his hand and say to the villagers: "Although Madam Du is beautiful, she is already thirty years old. In my opinion, her appearance is not as good as that of Madam Gan, the concubine of Liu Yuzhou..."

Just as he was about to say something, a stone hit the water nearby, causing splashes. The people around him got angry and stood up one after another. Some of them stood up from the water naked, looking like they were ready to attack.

Xu Si also stood up and turned to look. Seeing that it was Sun Qian, he immediately smiled awkwardly and bowed: "It's Gongyou, what brings you here?"

He went ashore and gestured to the villagers around him. The villagers looked at each other and could only suppress their anger, pick up their shorts and go play in the water somewhere else.

Under the willow tree on the bank, after Xu Si had put on his clothes, Sun Qian calmed down his anger and said, "Sir, although my lord Liu Xuande is magnanimous, you have also heard that General Zhang San has a hot temper. Isn't this asking for trouble for no reason?"

"Everyone around here is from my hometown..."

Xu Si tried to explain quietly, but seeing Sun Qian's gloomy eyes, he simply asked, "What brings Gongyou here?"

Being caught with a flaw on the spot, Xu Si lowered his attitude very much.

Sun Qian still had a stern face: "It's like this, my lord won a great victory at Bowangpo, and Liu Zhennan invited him to a banquet. My lord wants to invite you to the banquet so that he can persuade Liu Zhennan to send troops to help."

Speaking of business, Xu Si raised his hand to cover his mouth, rubbed his thumb over his beard, squinted his eyes and said in deep thought: "Gongyou also knows the situation in our state. This matter is very difficult. Last year, Cao Cao stationed troops in Wankou. Our state was terrified, fearing that Cao's army would go south and destroy our state."

"Cao Cao is now fighting in Hebei and cannot be distracted. Everyone in the state is happy. At this time, proposing to send troops to attack Cao Cao will definitely cause trouble. It's not that I don't want to say it, but I really don't dare to say it."

Seeing that Sun Qian still had a gloomy face, Xu Si smiled and said, "Even if the matter here is heard by Lord Xuande, Lord Xuande will just laugh it off. Why would you want to ruin my life? Those who can ruin my life are there."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed in the direction of Xiangyang City. Xu Si stopped smiling again and his eyes turned cold. "Gongyou, do you know anything about the father and son Liu Kuo and Liu Wang of Anzhong, Nanyang?"

Sun Qian shook his head: "I went with the army to fight. After withdrawing from Xinye, I took a short break and came to see you. I don't know what's going on recently. What did Anzhong Liu do wrong?"

The Anzhong Liu family is a branch of the Changsha Liu family. Since Liu Bei entered Jingzhou alone and established a state department, Liu Zhuo responded to the call and served as a state department official. Later, he was transferred to the Zhennan Shogunate and died of illness while in office a few years ago.

Xu Si looked around, fearing that there was another envoy of Liu Biao standing behind him. After confirming that it was safe, he said, "After Yi Jibo took charge of Nanxiang County, Liu Jingsheng recruited Liu Wang, the son of Liu Bo, as a shogun. When Liu Wang took office, he advised Liu Jingsheng to send troops to help in the war, so as to cooperate with Liu Yuzhou to kill the traitors and support the court. Liu Jingsheng refused. I heard that someone around him had made a slanderous statement, and Liu Wang was in danger."

Seeing that Sun Qian did not think it was strange, Xu Si lowered his voice and said, "Before Liu Wang, two people who had proposed to send troops to fight the bandits since this year have now died for other crimes. They were all talented people in our state, and they will be the pillars of the court in the future!"

After saying this, Xu Si could no longer hold back his anger. He clenched his fist and smashed it on his thigh, staring at him: "Cao Cao is a traitor to the country, so how could this person not be a traitor to the country too!"

Sun Qian was a disciple of the great Confucian scholar Zheng Xuan. He suddenly realized, "Sir, are you saying that Liu Jingsheng suspected that my master was colluding with the people of Jingzhou?"

"It is no sin for a scholar to associate with outstanding people."

Xu Si took a deep breath and said, "What I am worried about is that Liu Jingsheng may misunderstand and think that Lord Xuande has colluded with the shogunate and the provincial government officials. If this is the case, the more we persuade him to send troops to fight the enemy, the less likely it will be to see results."

Sun Qian was helpless, so he said, "Then when you attend a banquet, don't talk about state affairs, just talk about your knowledge and experiences."

At this moment, Liu Wang, whom they were talking about, was sailing on the Han River and arrived at Yuliangzhou, in front of Sima Hui's house.

Under the pavilion in the house, Sima Hui and several disciples sat together in short clothes drinking tea to quench their thirst.

Seeing Liu Wang, his younger brother Liu Yi put down his tea bowl and walked over quickly, pulling Liu Wang to the mulberry tree outside the door and said, "Brother, why are you still in Jingxiang?"

"I'm not going anywhere. It's my duty as a minister to speak for justice. General Zhennan is not stupid. How could he listen to slander and kill me?"

Liu Wang said in a tough tone: "If we just leave like this, wouldn't that just confirm the slander and frame-up?"

"Brother, didn't you see how Shen Sheng died inside and Chong Er lived outside?"

Liu Yi was so anxious that he wanted to beat Liu Wang up: "How does Liu Jingsheng's forbearance and wisdom compare to Gou Jian? Under Gou Jian, Fan Li lived happily with Xi Shi at the age of 88. Wen Zhong was so virtuous, but he was still tortured to death by Gou Jian?"

"Brother, you can't be like Liu Xiahui and be with Guang Tongchen. If you stay in this state, you will not be able to escape! Liu Zhennan can tolerate it once, will he tolerate it a second time?"

Liu Wang wanted to entrust his last wishes to others after hearing this, but after thinking for a while, he sighed and said, "I don't need to worry about that."

(End of this chapter)