Sun Ce told Yan Xiang of Yang Hong's intention. Although Yan Xiang did not have a seizure on the spot, his face was not very good-looking. This is not only because Yang Hong intends to seize the position of Nanyang Taishou, but also because Yang Hong did not mention this matter when he passed through Wancheng, but now he brought Yuan Yao to a surprise attack, obviously not taking his old friend and former colleague to heart.

Are you the only one who is General Yuan's loyal servant, and I am not? Sun Ce is the successor designated by General Yuan, you and I have seen it with our own eyes, what is wrong with what I did, how did I become a person who must be eliminated quickly. To put it bluntly, it's not because Yang Biao is Situ, you consider yourself a minister of the imperial court and look down on those of us who follow Sun Ce.

Yan Xiang thought for a moment and smiled. "It turns out that the general came to Wancheng to escort Yuan Yao. The general's love for Yuan Yao is really admirable, and General Yuan's spirit in the sky will definitely be very gratified. ”

Sun Ce sighed. "Entrusted by others, loyal to people, luckily did a good job, he didn't scold me, he didn't dare to ask too much. It's just that Yan Jun has been wronged, after a hard year, Nanyang has just been on the right track, not only can't he praise you, but he also wants you to be virtuous. ”

Yan Xiang chuckled: "The general's words are serious. Yuan Yao is the son of my late master, and it is my duty to let him be virtuous. It's just that he is still young, and Nanyang's affairs are different from those of other counties, so I am really a little worried. ”

Sun Ce and Guo Jia exchanged a knowing look. Yan Xiang's words were very resentful, but they were not aimed at him, nor at Yuan Yao, with Yan Xiang's IQ, it was impossible not to see that this was a ploy of the imperial court, and all his grievances were directed at Yang Quan. He didn't mention Yang Hong at all, which in itself was enough to explain the problem.

"Really?"

"The general should know how much supplies were transferred from Nanyang this year. Although Nanyang is rich, it has only been a few years since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and last year there was another big war, and the treasury was empty. Almost all the materials used by the general this year are owed on credit, and the ordnance of General Zhou's expedition this time is also owed, according to this year's calculation, Nanyang's taxes within five years have been used up, this Nanyang Taishou is actually very difficult to do, and I also want to rest. ”

Sun Ce laughed. He grabbed Yan Xiang's arm and patted it gently. "I know the hard work of the king, but you can't rest yet. Yuan Yao is young, and it is difficult to move an inch without the support of an old minister like you. Taishou can't do it, but the county is none other than you. Yan Jun, don't be in a hurry to excuse yourself, this is not only what I mean, but also what Madame means. She is busy preparing for the sacrifice and can't come in person, so she entrusts me to greet you and ask you to help Yuan Yao no matter what. ”

Yan Xiang is also a smart person, and he understood as soon as he heard this. Sun Ce will not give up Nanyang, he just gave away the false name of Taishou, and his interests and power will not be less at all, and he has also been grateful to Yuan Quan. Yuan Quan is the eldest daughter of Yuan Shu, Sun Ce's wife, and is very trusted by Sun Ce. With Yuan Quan's gratitude, his future is more secure.

Yan Xiang smiled: "Thank you for your trust." However, I did get a little tired and wanted to rest for a few days. I haven't paid homage to General Yuan for a long time since I sent him to the ground, and I want to rush over to take a look at this anniversary sacrifice. ”

Sun Ce knew it and readily agreed.

——

Yan Xiang, as the host and Yuan's former official, warmly received Yuan Yao, and during the banquet, he inevitably traced the old days, lamented Yuan Shu's untimely death, and talked about the changes in the past year, which made Yang Hong embarrassed. Yan Xiang was very indifferent to Yang Hong, he didn't look at him from beginning to end, and he didn't even accept Yang Hong to take the initiative to toast.

Zhang Xun was also here. He was also very dissatisfied when he heard Sun Ce say the intention of Yang Hong and others. He was not as direct as Yan Xiang, but he smiled very reluctantly, with a very obvious perfunctory meaning. Not long ago, Pang Degong rushed from Xiangyang to propose marriage for Pang Tong, and he had already agreed, which was equivalent to tying up Sun Ce's boat, and he naturally had no good impression of the imperial court coming to snatch Nanyang.

Yang Hong had no choice but to take out the edict and do business. Before the edict of the imperial court, Yan Xiang also cooperated, accepted the edict, handed over the seal letter of Nanyang Taishou on the spot, and asked Zhang Xun to go to Ruyang to worship Yuan Shu together. Zhang Xun understood and agreed.

Yang Hong was even more embarrassed and could only pretend to be confused. Originally, Yang Xiu asked him to win over Yan Xiang and Zhang Xun, and promised to ask the imperial court to appoint them as Jiangxia and Nanjun Taishou, but now that the edict has not arrived, he can't figure out the meaning of the imperial court, so he doesn't dare to talk nonsense, so he can only watch Yan Xiang and Zhang Xun break off friendship with him.

Yan Xiang and Zhang Xun left the next day. Yuan Yao was supposed to take office, but he was tired and handed over all official affairs to Yang Hong. Yang Hong immediately entered the working state, stationed in the Taishou Mansion, and took over all affairs. The officials of Cao Peng first reported to him that the New Year was approaching, and the counties had ended, and the Taishou Mansion should send people to Chang'an to pay tribute, accept the inquiries of the Situ Mansion, and participate in the court meeting. Yang Hong hurried to Nanyang, just for this moment, the imperial court needed Nanyang's finance and taxes to alleviate the dilemma.

The Son of Heaven wants to reward the minister in the New Year, and now that life in Chang'an is hard, many people are waiting for this reward for the New Year.

But the result surprised Yang Hong, Nanyang's population and taxes have indeed increased significantly, and the numbers are gratifying, but Nanyang owes more debts, and the taxes within five years have been all owed on credit, and there is not a grain of grain or a five-baht coin.

Yang Hong was so angry that he wanted people to chase Yan Xiang, but was stopped by Yang Xiu. Yang Xiu said, it's useless for you to catch up with Yan Xiang, don't say that he doesn't want to help you, even if he is willing to help you, without Sun Ce's nod, he doesn't dare to make his own decisions. Instead of chasing Yan Xiang, it is better to ask Sun Ce.

Yang Hong was silent and noncommittal.

Yang Xiu had no choice but to go to Sun Ce by himself. His injuries have healed more than half, and he can barely walk, but after a long time, he still doesn't feel very strong, and most of the time he still lies on the bed to recuperate. Sun Ce did not live in the city most of the time, but in the camp outside the city. He rushed out of the city, and just as Sun Ce was inspecting the people, he heard that it would not end until very late. Yang Xiu knew that Sun Ce deliberately made things difficult for him, so he had to come to the Chinese army and reluctantly ascend to the general's platform.

"The general is so imposing." Yang Xiu held on to the railing, and there was something to say. He can barely cope with walking on the ground, but this three-zhang high general platform has made him suffer a lot, and he is sweating all over the pain.

Sun Ce smiled slightly, stretched out his hand and pointed at the soldiers on the stage. "Yang Dezu, what do you think of my subordinates who are better than the generals of the chariot cavalry?"

Yang Xiu had already heard the neat and majestic roars of the soldiers along the way, and knew that this was an elite. At this moment, I climbed high and looked into the distance, and I had a panoramic view of the military formation of more than 10,000 soldiers, which was even more shocking. The art of war is cloudy: no invitation to the banner of righteousness, no dignified battle. It can be seen from whether the formation is strict or not, and from whether their formation is smooth, it can be seen whether they are well-trained, and the order is prohibited, and Sun Ce's subordinates fully meet these two conditions, and they are well-deserved elites, even if Huangfu Song himself comes, he must praise it.

But what made him even more uneasy was that Sun Ce never forgot to compare himself with Huangfu Song, and he trained to meet Huangfu Song.

"What does the general think?" Yang Xiu asked rhetorically: "If the general and the general of the chariot cavalry face each other, what are the odds of winning?" ”

Sun Ce looked at Yang Xiu with a smile for a moment and raised his finger. "If I attack the key points, the victory rate is only about 30%, if I defend Nanyang and wait for the general to attack, the victory rate is at least 80%."

Yang Xiu smiled. "The general deserves to be a young hero, not only confident, but also conceited."