Xiaoqi

After Zhou Yu heard the words, his expression changed slightly, and he looked at Jia Xu with doubts in his eyes. After confirming that Jia Xu had expressed his feelings, he was relieved immediately, and his slightly frowned brows completely relaxed.Obviously, if Zhuge Liang was not recognized by both Li Li and Jia Xu, and was not a colleague, Zhou Yu must have been very unconvinced after hearing Jia Xu's words, and would definitely have a contest with Zhuge Liang afterwards.But at this moment, he didn't have half the heart to fight for power, instead he wondered if Jia Xu had any opinion on Zhuge Liang.He didn't feel at ease until he confirmed that Jia Xu had no malicious intentions.

In troubled times, intrigue among colleagues is the most taboo, and internal discord, how can it be successful?On this point, Zhou Yu is absolutely unambiguous, otherwise he would not be Zhou Yu and Zhou Gongjin.

Under the same sky and the same night, the inner hall of the Prime Minister's Mansion in Yecheng was also brightly lit.

Da Sikong, who was ranked among the three princes, and Yuan Shao, who was also in charge of the prime minister, stood in front of the window worriedly at this moment, staring at the eastern mountains under the night through the propped up window, and remained silent for a long time.

A month ago, the Discussing Yuan Alliance suffered a serious setback due to the sudden withdrawal of Liu Biao in Jingzhou. The two main battlefields of Hebei and Huainan stopped fighting one after another, and fell into a deadlock of confrontation.At that time, Yuan Shao believed that the alliance of discussing Yuan was on the verge of disintegration, just like the situation of the two alliances he had united with the princes, once the princes withdrew first, the entire alliance would immediately fall apart and be disbanded on the spot.

Yuan Shao has a deep understanding of this.After all, he has served as the leader of the princes and alliances twice, and led the allied forces to attack the Xiliang Army twice, but the results of the two crusades were quite different.It was the first time to unite the [-]th princes to attack Dong Zhuo. Although it was somewhat unsatisfactory, the battle was finally won; because the allied forces finally achieved their goal, forcing Dong Zhuo and his Xiliang army away, and successfully captured the imperial capital Luoyang.

The second alliance of princes to attack Li Li, although the number of princes participating in the alliance was far less than that of Chenliu's alliance, the number of princes participating in the alliance was far superior to that of the first alliance.However, the result of the Sili War made Yuan Shao unbearable to look back on. The Allied Army was completely defeated, completely defeated, and completely defeated.In the end, only five of the nine vassals of the Huimeng survived, and less than half of the more than [-] allied troops finally escaped from Sili alive. It was a real fiasco.

To this day, Yuan Shao still can't forget the tragedy of the Sili War. When he dreams back at midnight, he is always awakened by the nightmare, and his whole body collapses.The 10,000+ ghosts who were killed in the pit have been haunting him, lingering in his mind, lingering and lingering, making him restless and miserable.So he has been trying to forget the scene of the Sili battle, forget that unbearable memory, it is best never to think about it again, let it be annihilated in the dust with time.However, with the founding of the Yuan League, the memory that he deliberately forgot resurfaced in his heart again, so that he was startled awake again in his sleep, so he put on a brocade robe and walked into the inner hall, standing in front of the window and looking at the east.

Two days ago, news came from there that Wuhuan chieftain Ta Dun would lead 13 cavalry to a decisive battle with Li Li's army.For this reason, Yuan Shao has hardly closed his eyes in the past two days, and he has been thinking about the Lulongsai war; or, from the moment he learned that Li Li appeared in Youzhou, he felt restless in his bedroom and restless. , a heart has been hanging in the throat.

"Li Li actually went to Youzhou, what happened? Once Youzhou falls into Li Li's hands, there will be no peace in Jizhou, and it is really on the verge of life and death, and it is at stake!" It is precisely because of this concern that Yuan Shao has been in the past two days. They were all waiting for the passage of time in fear and fear. I really couldn't bear it tonight. I finally closed my eyes and went to sleep, but I was woken up by the nightmare in the middle of the night.

Standing in front of the window, Yuan Shao reckoned: The Lulongsai decisive battle should be over by now.

Chapter 966

Following the "creaking" sound of the door opening, the sound of rustling footsteps reached Yuan Shao's ears, he didn't turn around but knew who it was.

It was Yuan Shao's eldest son Yuan Tan who pushed the door open by himself.

There is a saying: the emperor loves the eldest son, and the common people love the youngest son.This regulation started from the establishment of the eldest son inheritance system by Zhou Tianzi. This inheritance system took root in the land of Yanhuang, flourished rapidly, and passed down for thousands of years.

For the children of officials and eunuchs, the status of the eldest son undoubtedly occupies a unique advantage, and many resources enjoy priority. From the moment of birth, it means that he will have a lofty identity and status.However, for ordinary people, if the children of the poor are in charge of the family early, the eldest son will not get much benefit, but will have to shoulder the burden of the family early; More love and care.

Yuan Tan is the eldest son of Yuan Shao, and he was born in the Yuan family of the fourth generation and third father, so his status in the Yuan family is detached and unique.Although Yuan Shao didn't like him at one time, he still had an age advantage that his younger brothers didn't have, so he was recognized and supported by many civil and military officials under his father Yuan Shao, and his wings gradually flourished.

Ever since Yuan Shao occupied Jizhou and established himself independently, Yuan Tan has risen accordingly, as if he regarded himself as the son of the prince.From then on, a group of people took the initiative to move closer to him. As his father Yuan Shao's power grew day by day, he became more and more nourished as the heir, and with a little tricks, he won over a large number of civil servants and generals.

When Yuan Shao captured Qingzhou, Yuan Tan naturally became the best candidate to take Qingzhou.Although Yuan Shao disliked him very much.Helplessly, the officials and generals under his command all spoke the same word, so Yuan Tan became the shepherd of Qingzhou and took charge of his own affairs.If nothing else.After a hundred years of Yuan Shao, Yuan Tan logically inherited the power left by Yuan Shao and inherited the princes.

However, with the sudden death of Emperor Liu Xie of the Han Dynasty and the establishment of the Discussion Yuan Alliance, everything that was originally logical disappeared in an instant.Yuan Tan's Qingzhou animal husbandry throne hadn't been warmed up, and before he had time to be happy, he was aggressively attacked by Cao Cao in Yanzhou.subsequently.Cities fell one after another, and counties and counties fell one after another. Yuan Tan organized troops and horses in a hurry to fight back.But the result is backfired and unsatisfactory.At the end of last year, Qingzhou was completely captured by Cao Cao of Yanzhou, and Yuan Tan took the remnant soldiers back to Yecheng in a panic.Then he behaved well and honestly for a whole winter.I was afraid that Yuan Shao would blame him for this, and even give up on him completely in despair.

However, Yuan Tan's expected accusations and reprimands all came to nothing.After Qingzhou was defeated, Yuan Shao didn't blame him, not even a harsh word or reprimand, instead he acted extremely calm, as if Qingzhou didn't matter at all.Lost it, lost it, no big deal.to this end.Yuan Tan was nervous for a while, fearing that this was the calm when the storm came. Once Yuan Shao really blamed it, it would be a violent storm. Even if he didn't die, he would have to peel off his skin.

But the whole winter passed, and Yuan Shao still didn't reprimand him, and even cared about him occasionally, asking for warmth, which made Yuan Tan terrified and terrified all day long.This is because since he can remember, his father Yuan Shao doesn't like him, but he loves and cares for his third younger brother Yuan Shang very much.Therefore, he always believed that his father was biased, favoring one over another, so he paid attention to it early on, and tried his best to win over the civil and military officials under his father's tent, trying to use them for his own use, so that one day he could help him ascend to his father's throne and inherit his father's title and power .

As winter went to spring, Yuan Tan, who had been terrified all winter, gradually adapted to his father Yuan Shao's love and care, and completely let go of the defeat of Qingzhou.Later, under the reminder of the Prime Minister Shi Guotu, he often followed Yuan Shao, euphemistically saying that he "followed his father to learn how to govern the country". In fact, he was pretending to deliberately please Yuan Shao and win Yuan Shao's favor.

In the early summer, Yuan Tan was used to being with his father Yuan Shao, and lived next to Yuan Shao's bedroom, listening to teachings in the morning and evening, and coming to say hello from time to time.The same is true tonight.But wherever Yuan Tan appears, there must be someone behind him, and this person is Shi Guotu, Guo Gongze, the head of the prime minister's mansion.Now, the relationship between Guo Tu and Yuan Tan is very good, they almost talk about everything, as if they are one person; while Yuan Tan obeys his advice and asks for advice on everything, almost without exception.

"My son saw that the light in father's bedroom was still on, so he came in by himself, didn't he disturb father's rest?" Yuan Tan walked to Yuan Shao's side in small steps, and Yuan Tan said cautiously and respectfully.

Guo Tu followed Yuan Tan, stood by the window frame, and looked in the direction Yuan Shao was looking at, but saw that there was nothing but darkness in front of him.Then he stood quietly by the side, looking at his nose and heart, keeping his mouth shut, as if he didn't exist.

Hearing the slight uneasiness in Yuan Tan's tone of voice, Yuan Shao's calm face showed a bit of disappointment, but it disappeared in a flash and quickly returned to normal.After being silent for a while, he said softly: "My son's filial piety is commendable, and I am very pleased to be my father. From now on, you can come to see me as your father at any time. You don't need to ask for instructions, just come in." After speaking, Yuan Shao turned his head and looked She looked at Yuan Tan kindly, and stretched out her hand to wrap his collar around him, as if worried that he would be cold, her love for her son was beyond words.

At this moment, the father and son stood face to face.Looking at Yuan Tan, who was in his thirties, Yuan Shao was slightly distracted, and his eyes were rather complicated: surprise, shame, self-blame and remorse all appeared in his pupils.Speaking of which, except when Yuan Tan was just born, Yuan Shao had never seen the face of his eldest son Yuan Tan so closely and carefully until now he suddenly realized that Yuan Tan looked exactly like himself when he was young. Yuan Tan seemed to see himself when he was young.And these, he had never noticed before, or he almost never looked at Yuan Tan directly.

And all this is because Yuan Tan was born when he made peace with his personal maid when he was young. Although the maid became a concubine after she became pregnant, Yuan Tan was not born in the real family, so Yuan Shao has always had a grudge against his eldest son Yuan Tan. , can never cross this threshold.This is because Yuan Shao himself was born of a concubine, even though he was called Yuan's eldest son.However, his name was not right and his word was not right. He fought with Yuan Shu, who was born in his wife's wife, all his life, and when he was old, he still didn't agree with each other.No one obeys anyone.For this reason, Yuan Shao hated him deeply. Whenever he thought of his own experience, he couldn't help being upset and angry, and lost his temper. Then he couldn't help but think of his eldest son Yuan Tan, and invisibly transferred the grievance and resentment in his heart to Yuan Tan, so he treated Yuan Tan. Yuan Tan was very displeased.

It is precisely because of being blinded by the resentment in my heart.That's why Yuan Shao deliberately ignored the existence of his eldest son, Yuan Tan, and ignored him.Even out of sight.But at this moment, Yuan Shao suddenly discovered that Yuan Tan's appearance was so similar to his own, almost exactly the same, and his background and experience were even more similar; the only difference was that.Yuan Tan is at the prime of his life.But he is already old, approaching his sixtieth year.

Seeing Yuan Shao's expression was in a trance, Yuan Tan called softly: "Father, father, do you mean that father has something on his mind? If father doesn't think the child is stupid, the child is willing to share his worries for father."

"Huh?" Yuan Shao came back to his senses when he heard the sound, and murmured in amazement, then he saw Guo Tu standing behind Yuan Tan, and he was immediately relieved.Change to before.Yuan Shao ignored it at all, and it was even more impossible to tell Yuan Tan what he wanted to say.But at this moment, his state of mind is completely different from before.It's like two different people.What's more, time is not forgiving. He had already wasted a lot of time before, and he had no idea of ​​cultivating a successor at all, but now he had to think about it, and he had to hurry up to let Yuan Tan grow up as soon as possible, lest there would be no successors.

"Alright." Thinking of this, Yuan Shao nodded lightly, and said in a gentle and authentic tone: "A detailed report, just last winter, the Li thief from Xiliang visited Youzhou in person, easily entered Yijing City, and then subdued Gongsun Zan without bloodshed, and then quietly Occupied Youzhou silently, with more than [-] soldiers and horses in Youzhou. This matter was roughly the same time as Xiansi (Yuan Tan)'s defeat of Qingzhou, almost at the same time. However, our army's detailed work was only a month ago. Inquired about the news that Youzhou changed hands and Li Li appeared in Youzhou. Before that, the territory of Youzhou was calm and there was no news at all.

For more than four months, we were all kept in the dark, unaware, and ignorant.Thief Li took advantage of this time to reorganize the Youzhou Army, and dispatched a large number of civil servants and generals into Youzhou, firmly controlling the counties and counties of Youzhou.After the careful investigation of the situation in Youzhou, it was too late, and Youzhou had completely fallen into the hands of Thief Li. After a pause, Yuan Shao's face was full of annoyance and fear, and he sighed with regret.

Seeing Yuan Shao's agitation, Yuan Tan's brows twitched, he couldn't help blinking, his eyes were a little flustered, he couldn't help lowering his head, and remained silent.Obviously, he knew about the change of master in Youzhou long ago, even earlier than his father Yuan Shao, but he didn't report it to Yuan Shao immediately, but concealed it without authorization.Therefore, his expression is flustered at the moment, and he is very scared in his heart, worried that if his father finds out about this matter, he will definitely turn his anger on him.And the reason why he concealed it and did not report it was at the behest of Guo Tu.Guo Tu said: My lord has been depressed and depressed recently. Once he learns that Youzhou has changed hands, he will be furious, and he will definitely take his anger out on him.Therefore, to be on the safe side, it is better to conceal it for the time being, and report the good news but not the bad news, so as not to be affected by disaster, and the gain outweighs the loss.In this way, Yuan Tan deliberately concealed the matter for more than two months, otherwise Yuan Shao would have known that Youzhou had been occupied by Li Li three months ago.

Fortunately, Yuan Shao was emotional at this time, and he didn't notice Yuan Tan's abnormal expression at all, otherwise the matter would have been exposed.Out of anger, Yuan Shao took a deep breath, tried his best to calm down, and then said in a low tone: "After Youzhou is occupied by Li Bandit, the situation in Jizhou will become more and more dangerous. To the north is Li Bandit's army of more than [-] troops, and to the east There are more than [-] soldiers and horses concealed by the villain Cao A, and to the south there are tens of thousands of cavalry led by General Zhou Yu under the command of Li Thief, and the enemy is surrounded by powerful enemies, and it is at stake!"

Looking up and seeing his father's worried expression, Yuan Tan inexplicably felt sad and distressed.Until then, he suddenly discovered that his father's sideburns had become as white as snow at some point, and many wrinkles had been added to his forehead, and he was quietly growing old.Yuan Tan was horrified by this discovery. He vaguely remembered that when Emperor Han and the officials entered Yecheng, his father Yuan Shao was radiant and energetic, and he looked like a man in his prime when he was over 50 years old.After two years, my father seems to be decades old, but he is not yet 60 years old this year!

In an instant, a flash of inspiration flashed in Yuan Tan's mind, and everything that had been puzzling before suddenly became clear and understood.The reason why his father Yuan Shao changed his previous indifference was because he knew that his body was getting worse day by day, and he couldn't wait any longer.At this time, Yuan Shang had not yet won the championship, and Yuan Xi died in the battle of Sili. As a result, only he, Yuan Tan, could inherit the great cause of Jizhou.Other than that, there is no other choice.

"It turns out that everything is like this!" Yuan Tan thought to himself, and the depression in his heart disappeared completely, and his whole body seemed to relax a lot all of a sudden, and his mental outlook was lifted.Immediately, he deliberately suppressed the excitement in his heart, and said softly: "As far as my child knows, Tadun, the leader of Wuhuan, is leading 10,000+ barbarian cavalry to fight against Li Thief in front of Lulongsai Pass. It can be solved, get rid of the serious troubles of your confidantes, and temporarily protect yourself from any danger."

Yuan Shao nodded when he heard the sound, with a gratified smile on his face, he praised: "What my son said is very true. If the barbarian army wins, Li thief will suffer a serious setback, and he will be unable to attack Jizhou for the time being. But Li thief is strong, and if the barbarian army It may not be easy to take advantage of him. In addition, my son must keep in mind one sentence: People who are not my race must have a different heart. We can take the barbarians for our own use, but we cannot trust them, let alone rely on them; On the contrary, we should always be on guard against them, curb their development and growth, and once the time is right, we can send troops to destroy them, and make them fall under my kingship." After speaking, Yuan Shao's slightly stooped body seemed to grow taller in an instant Many, awe-inspiring righteousness, full of righteousness.

On the other hand, Yuan Tan and Guo Tu were astonished, especially Guo Tu, he never expected that Yuan Shao, who had always advocated the strategy of pacifying the barbarians, would have such a strong and upright side.In an instant, he felt that Yuan Shao had reached a height that he could look up to, completely breaking the indecisive image in his mind.However, after he calmed down, he knew that Yuan Shao's words would never come true.

Over the past year or so, Yuan Shao has indeed changed.From the moment he learned of the sudden death of Emperor Liu Xie of the Han Dynasty, Yuan Shaoda was stimulated and fainted on the spot. After waking up, he changed.It was also from then on, in just half a year, Yuan Shao's sideburns were all white, and there were many gray hairs on his head, and his face was full of wrinkles. After half a year, he seemed to have aged dozens of years.For Yuan Shao's great changes after learning from the painful experience, all the officials in Jizhou were very excited, only Guo Tu felt sad, because he knew that it was too late, too late.What's the use of cherishing time only when the sun is setting?

Just as Yuan Shao, Yuan Tan and his son were having a good time talking, a wind blew up outside the window. The sound of "huhu" wind creaked the lattice windows, and the starry sky that was full of stars just now was quietly covered by dark clouds. Looking at this posture, the first rain in early summer is coming

Chapter 967

The first rain in the summer came for two days.The rain is not stagnant, and the water is flowing in a long stream, washing away the dust of the whole spring, washing away the blood in front of Lulongsai Pass, and putting on a new summer dress for the Yanhuang land.

There is always the will of God full of humanity above the heads of good people.It cares for the common people, knows the cold and warm, and understands human feelings. Whenever countless soldiers are fighting bloody battles, it will always spread clouds and rain, soothe the departed heroes, heal the devastation under the flames of war, and benefit the Quartet, for the well-being of the people of Li.

The rain washed away the blood remaining in front of the Lulongsai Pass, extinguished the smoke of the beacon, and brought in a short period of peace and tranquility, which also slowed down the pace of the Han army's marching out of the pass.

Originally, Li Li planned to lead his troops out of the customs the next day, and rush to help Gongsun Zan and Zhao Yun's troops who were chasing the barbarian army last night, so as to be safe.Unexpectedly, a sudden rain delayed the itinerary, forcing tens of thousands of troops to temporarily station in the pass to rest and rest.It rained at five o'clock, and the road was already muddy in the early morning, which seriously hindered the march of the brigade.It can be said that it is God's will to keep people, what can they do?

Inside the city guard's mansion, Li Li stood in front of the main hall, looking at the falling rain, thinking silently.It was already noon at this time, and the [-] cavalry led by Gongsun Zan and Zhao Yun had already traveled for nearly two days, but the follow-up brigade was blocked by the rain and did not move. How could Li Li not be worried?

The battlefield was changing rapidly, and without follow-up support, Gongsun Zan and Zhao Yun's [-] cavalry went deep alone, which was extremely dangerous.If they were ambushed or besieged by barbarians, it would be impossible for them to be rescued for a while, and the result would be dire.If this is the case, [-] cavalry will be in danger of annihilating the entire army.Then the loss would be huge.

In the battle of Lulongsai, Li Li's [-] cavalrymen killed more than [-] cavalry, plus the [-] cavalry who went to pursue them.It is equivalent to the annihilation of the [-] army.Such a heavy casualty is indeed too heavy for Li Li. Even if the Xiliang military family has a great career, they can't afford such a heavy price of casualties!Although he said it very lightly to Zhuge Liang before, he looked rich and powerful, as if he didn't care about the [-] army at all; in fact, that was not the case at all, it was just to comfort Zhuge Liang and let him let go.Don't carry too much pressure.That's all.

Now, a rain came unexpectedly, which made the originally relatively clear battle obscure.Added many variables.It also made Li Li, who had the chance to win, unable to calm down. He was full of worries about the upcoming battle, and his already rock-solid heart was faintly uneasy, as if something big was about to happen.And it is extremely bad for oneself.

This vague premonition of unknown danger.Li Li hasn't felt this way for a long time.But now, something inexplicably appeared in his mind, which made him quite at a loss. He really couldn't think of any flaws in the whole layout, and how to make up for them.The more anxious he was to know where the loophole was, the more he couldn't remember it. This kind of unspeakable anxiety made him suffer a lot, and his heart was always hanging in his throat.Uneasy.

In this way, Li Li stood in front of the main hall for a long time.But I still can't figure it out, I can't figure it out.I don't know when, Kong Ming and Xu Huang came hand in hand, walked to him with light steps, and when Xu Huang was about to bow to salute, Zhuge Liang shook his head to stop him.Immediately, the two stood behind Li Li, motionless, watching the rain with Li Li, waiting for him to wake up from his meditation.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the two of them stood still, Li Li quickly turned around and said with a smile on his face, "Gong Ming is also here, but he is a rare visitor. If I remember correctly, this is the first time Gong Ming came here on his own initiative. See me, you didn't come here often before."

Xu Huang's cheeks were slightly red when he heard this, and he said in a respectful and nervous voice: "The last general is rude, please forgive me, my lord." It is very frightening to say whether it is polite or a reproach.

Seeing Xu Huang's reserved expression, Li Li patted him on the shoulder lightly, and said with a smile: "Gongming doesn't need to be polite. You have been leading the army for many years and you are not allowed to call. How can you come to see me? I understand. Today It’s rare to have free time, so I’ll drink to my heart’s content, and I’ll rest when I’m drunk! Hehehe”

Hearing this, Xu Huang finally confirmed that what the protagonist Li Li just said was a polite remark, he immediately let out a long breath, his tense mind completely relaxed, and the expression on his face became natural.This scene all fell into Zhuge Liang's eyes, and it was the first time for him to see the incomparable lofty prestige of the lord Li Li in the army. Even a general like Xu Huang, who is good at fighting, was so respectful and cautious in front of Li Li, let alone other people. general?

After exchanging pleasantries, the three main ministers took their seats one after another.As usual, Li Li did not sit on the upper stage, but sat at the first place on the left side of the hall, sitting side by side with Zhuge Liang and Xu Huang.

The attendants who had already been instructed quickly set up the banquet, and respectfully knelt aside to serve carefully.