xymnovel Chapter 6 Hold firm, and there's a way.
Chapter 6 Hold firm, and there's a way.
Upon returning to Shouchun, Yan Xiang immediately reported to Yuan Shu about the matter of pacifying Chen Ce.
This is indeed a very important matter.
After years of fighting, especially with more defeats than victories, Shouchun and the surrounding areas had long since run out of ammunition and food, and the people's strength had been completely exhausted.
Now that Lujiang County has been captured, the problem of food shortage has been temporarily solved by exhausting resources, but there is still a large population gap.
Chen Ce, who had gathered followers in the mountains, was said to have tens of thousands of men under his command. If he could be successfully recruited, it would be a significant boost to the Zhong clan's regime.
At first, Yuan Yao was worried that Yuan Shu might not agree to the matter. After all, in his impression, this cheap father of his could always avoid all the right options and only made a mess of things.
Unexpectedly, Yuan listened to the advice this time. He not only agreed on the spot, but also specially sent his most trusted military leader, General Zhang Xun, to Lujiang to handle the matter.
Yuan Yao was greatly surprised and even wondered if Yuan Shu had grown a little stronger after being beaten so badly.
After the court session, Yan Xiang stated that he had long anticipated that Yuan Shu would most likely agree.
the reason is simple.
Chen Ce was a bandit.
Key point: Mountain bandits.
Looking back on Yuan Shu's life, as a member of a prestigious family that had produced four generations of high-ranking officials, he preferred to associate not with other prominent figures and powerful clans, but rather with these lowly bandits and outcasts.
Just count them: the Black Mountain Bandits of Taihang Mountain, Yufuluo of the Southern Xiongnu, the remnants of the Yellow Turbans in Runan and Yingchuan, the White Wave Bandits who kidnapped the emperor, plus the legendary hunter Zhang Kai, and so on—it was a constellation of stars.
With all this stuff, someone who didn't know better might think Shouchun had been renamed Liangshan Marsh, a place specifically for gathering heroes from all walks of life.
Therefore, it's not hard to understand why Brother Gonglu was so interested in Chen Ce.
Yuan Yao: "..."
Getting back to the main point, after dealing with Chen Ce, Yuan Yao didn't have a moment to rest. During the day, he was busy training soldiers and basically became the de facto commander of Huang Yi's more than 300 imperial guards. At night, he went to Yan Xiang to discuss the next steps for the Zhong family.
After spending a long time together, Yan Xiang gradually opened up to Yuan Yao about this, expressing his opinion, a very pessimistic one.
That means the Zhong family has no way out.
Yan Xiang had previously mentioned to Liu Xun that Lujiang's geographical environment was extremely harsh, making it a strategically important but difficult-to-defend location.
Now that the Zhong family has essentially taken control of Lujiang, it also means that they have inherited the disadvantages of the area.
With Liu Biao in the west, Sun Ce in the south, and Cao Cao in the north, all of whom were enemies rather than friends, the Zhong family, caught in the middle, could only be described as enjoying great fortune.
Yan Xiang sighed deeply, "Things have come to this, all we can do is try our best and leave the rest to fate, that's all."
Yuan Yao, however, had a different opinion: "I don't think so."
Yan Xiang was surprised: "Eh, Your Highness, what brilliant plan do you have to break this deadlock?"
Yuan Yao shook his head: "There's no solution for now, but I know how to do it."
Yan Xiang: "How do we do it?"
Yuan Yao: "If we hold firm, there's a way!"
Yan Xiang slowly typed out a question mark.
But that's actually the truth.
Despite being surrounded by a group of enemies and looking like he could die at any moment, Zhong might actually have a chance to revive the family if he held on.
Because Zhong's opponents were not clean either.
For example, Liu Biao's current situation is not ideal. Zhang Xian, the governor of Changsha, harbors resentment towards Liu Biao and has joined forces with the commanderies of Lingling and Guiyang to launch a rebellion.
It should be noted that Jingzhou only has seven commanderies in total. Zhang Xian's actions have essentially stirred up nearly half of the territory. Liu Biao is overwhelmed with problems and has no time to deal with the mess in Huainan.
Of course, Liu Biao had little interest in Huainan to begin with, so let's leave that aside for now.
The other two weren't much better off.
Sun Ce may seem powerful, but he could turn into a 54320 at any time. Besides, he is currently busy pacifying Jiangdong and is unlikely to shift his focus to Huainan for the time being.
Otherwise, why would Yuan Yao have raised the banner of a southern expedition against Sun Ce? He was certain that the enemy would not heed Yuan Shu's army's clamor.
The real threat to the Zhong clan's regime, and the one that Yan Xiang feared most, was Cao Cao, who had the power, the motive, and the ability to launch an attack at any time.
However, ever since he captured and killed Lü Bu, no one could stop Cao Cao from unifying the Central Plains. He inevitably became more and more reckless, rushing headlong towards becoming a traitor to Cao Cao.
Cao Cao has Liu Bei, the man obsessed with reviving the Han dynasty, under his command. Can he tolerate this? Sooner or later, he'll definitely turn against you.
This was the opportunity Yuan Yao had been waiting for.
That being said, one must be strong to succeed; if given the opportunity, Yuan Shu's army must also be capable.
Therefore, we must utilize all resources and methods to strengthen our military as quickly as possible.
A few days later, Yuan Yao, who was leading the Imperial Guards in field training, suddenly saw a force appear in front of him, consisting of cavalry and infantry, totaling about five hundred men.
Their faces and clothes were unfamiliar, unlike Zhong's army, and they looked very disheveled, as if they were defeated soldiers who had just fled back for their lives.
What is most surprising is that these defeated soldiers, despite being in extremely poor condition, still possessed a strange aura that made them seem like a battle-hardened force at first glance.
In contrast, the imperial guards behind Yuan Yao appeared to be nothing more than puppet troops...
Soon, Yuan Yao knew who these people were.
Lu Bu's remnant army!
The commander was Cao Xing, one of Lü Bu's eight generals!
After Lü Bu's defeat and death, this group of remnants of the army, after months of fighting and fleeing, finally broke through Cao Cao's encirclement and came to Shouchun to join Yuan Shu!
Upon hearing this, Yuan Yao jumped to his feet, his covetousness undisguised: "I love them to death!"
Whether it's Lu Bu's remnant army or Cao Xing himself, he wants to take them all into his possession!
The former, who were able to escape from Cao Cao's encirclement and pursuit, must have been the elite of Lü Bu's army. To put it bluntly, the fighting strength of these 500 men was probably the best in the entire Zhong clan.
As for the latter, that is even more important.
Over the years, Yuan Shu's army has suffered heavy losses, resulting in a large shortage of core officers. At present, there are probably only one and a half capable generals.
That one is Ji Ling, a formidable general at least.
The other half is Zhang Xun. As Yuan Shu's most valued general, he embodies the "old" part of the title "veteran general," making him exactly half of the title.
Cao Xing, on the other hand, was known for his bravery even under Lü Bu, who was surrounded by many skilled warriors. He was definitely a formidable fighter.
So on the very night that Lü Bu's remnant army arrived in Shouchun, Yuan Yao went there as an envoy to offer his support and win over the troops, while also testing Cao Xing's intentions to see if he could win him over.
Then you see a disheveled Cao Xing, his face ashen and his heart dead.
"Young Master Yuan, please return." Cao Xing's face fell, and his expression looked exactly like Yu Yu's: "Marquis Wen is dead. I no longer care about right or wrong. I only want to retire to the mountains and live out my remaining years."
To be honest, if it weren't for his reluctance to let these soldiers who followed him die, Cao Xing would have wanted to die on the battlefield long ago. Now that he has finally brought them to Shouchun, he can finally be free.
As a result, Yuan Yao's attempts to reason with him, appeal to his emotions, or tempt him with benefits were all ineffective.
Yuan Yao was at his wit's end and was worrying when he suddenly remembered that he was no longer alone and could ask others for advice.
So he hurried to find Yan Xiang.
Unfortunately, Yan Xiang disappointed him this time.
"Your Highness, this old minister does not know much about Marquis Wen's side, and I'm afraid I cannot be of any help."
But I wasn't completely disappointed.
"However, I can recommend someone; perhaps he can help."
"Who?"
"Chief Secretary Yang Gong".
Yuan Yao leaned back instantly.
It wasn't that I was surprised that Yang Hong had connections within Lü Bu's army.
After what happened before, Yuan Yao really didn't want to deal with Yang Hong, that scumbag.
What if the other party tries to extort money again? I'm penniless right now.
Unfortunately, circumstances forced Yuan Yao to reluctantly visit Yang Hong.
Unexpectedly, Yang Hong was very decisive this time, without any hesitation: "This matter is easy. Cao Xing is a mental problem, but the key lies with Marquis Wen. Your Highness only needs to start from there."
"Start with Marquis Wen?" Yuan Yao asked, puzzled.
Does that mean he should revive Lü Bu? That's quite simple.
Yang Hong laughed and said, "Your Highness does not know, but right now in the entire Shouchun, I'm afraid only you can subdue Cao Xing and his remnants of defeated troops."
Yuan Yao remained puzzled: "Why is that?"
Yang Hong coaxed, "Your Highness, have you forgotten your status with Marquis Wen?"
Yuan Yao was puzzled at first, then suddenly opened his eyes wide.
They really do have a certain status!
It seems like I'm Lu Bu's betrothed!
Seeing that Yuan Yao suddenly understood, Yang Hong continued, "After Lü Bu was defeated and killed, his family fell into the hands of Cao Cao. Your Highness only needs to find a way to rescue Lü Bu's daughter. With this bloodline of the Marquis of Wen still around, Cao Cao will naturally be easy to deal with."
Yuan Yao understood completely: "I know what to do now. Thank you for your guidance, Master Yang."
Yang Hong waved his hand: "Your Highness flatters me. It's just a trivial matter."
Yuan Yao was deeply moved. Although Yang Hong was a despicable person, he did have some skills.
"No need for modesty," Yuan Yao said again. "These days, it's hard to find someone with both virtue and talent! Master Yang, you are indeed capable."
Yang Hong: "Hehe, thank you for the compliment, Your Highness... Hmm?"