Qingzhou

As Yuan Shao's eldest son, Yuan Tan was very concerned about his father Yuan Shao's physical condition at this time. Yuan Tan has always believed that he is Yuan Shao's successor, even if the third brother Yuan Shang was born and was favored by Yuan Shao, Yuan Tan did not change this idea. It wasn't until Yuan Shao ordered Yuan Shang to stay in Yecheng before he set out on the expedition, and Yuan Tan didn't choose him Yuan Tan that Yuan Tan finally realized that his position as the successor of Hebei was about to be unable to be kept.

There was a time when Yuan Tan wished that Yuan Shao would die quickly. But the words of the strategist Chen Gong woke up Yuan Tan. Yuan Shao really can't die at this time, once Yuan Shao dies, then before he dies, he will definitely gather the ministers to designate an heir. He is far away in Qingzhou, and once Yuan Shang succeeds in taking the position, the situation will become more and more unfavorable to him. Although my situation is also terrible at the moment, one more day of delay will give me one more day of preparation.

In order to deal with Yuan Shang, Yuan Tan also accepted Chen Gong's advice and sent someone to win over his second brother Yuan Xi, but this guy from the concubine is really cowardly, pretending to be deaf and dumb about his invitation, if it weren't for the fact that Yuan Shang is the big enemy right now, Yuan Tan can't help but clean up Yuan Xi first, but when he solves the problem of Yuan Shang's henchman, the next one is you Yuan Xi.

"Eldest son, Mr. Xin is back." There was a report from outside the door.

"Please." Yuan Tan hurriedly commanded when he heard this.

Mr. Xin is Xin Ping, Yuan Tan knows that Xin Ping and Guo Tu are grasshoppers on the same rope as himself, if Yuan Shang succeeds in ascending to the throne and he is unlucky, these two will not be better. And Xin Ping and Guo Tu also know this, so although they are in Yecheng, they also automatically and consciously act as Yuan Tan's eyes and ears, and if there is any wind in Yecheng, they will notify Yuan Tan as quickly as possible.

Xin Ping dared to come in person, it can only mean that something happened in Yecheng, Yuan Tan didn't dare to slack off, and hurriedly ordered someone to invite Xin Ping into the study.

"Mr. Xin, what happened to Yecheng?" Seeing Xin Ping, Yuan Tan didn't care about greetings, and hurriedly asked.

"The eldest prince, the lord's condition has suddenly deteriorated, and the eldest prince is requested to prepare as soon as possible."

"Ahh How can it suddenly deteriorate? Isn't there a villain secretly doing it? Yuan Tan was shocked and blurted out.

"The eldest prince, when you think about these things now, there is not much time left for the eldest prince." Xin Ping frowned and reminded.

Hearing Xin Ping's reminder, Yuan Tan couldn't help but look embarrassed, "Mr. Xin, it's not that someone doesn't care, it's really someone who doesn't know the current affairs, and there is really not much time left, so Mr. Xin, do you think you can delay a thing or two?" ”

"It's difficult, the lord's consciousness has begun to be unclear recently, and all the affairs of Yecheng have been handed over to the third prince to deal with, although it has not yet been announced in public, you can see from Xin Comment, I am afraid that the people in Hebei have understood the lord's intentions."

"Mr. Xin, hope to save me." Yuan Tan was really anxious when he heard this, if Yuan Shang really succeeded him, not only would his previous efforts be in vain, but he would even be killed. Even if Yuan Shang didn't kill himself because of his reputation, a life of captivity was not what Yuan Tan wanted.

"Son, please get up quickly." Xin Ping hurriedly picked up Yuan Tan, who saluted him, and said softly: "Don't worry, the eldest prince, if you really let the third prince succeed him, the eldest prince will be sad, and Xin Ping may not end well, but I don't know how many soldiers the eldest prince has now?" ”

"In addition to the original 100,000 horses, there are 50,000 new recruits."

"150,000 people...... The eldest son, I wonder if the second son has sent someone to contact him? ”

"Yes, it's a pity that this timid guy neither agreed nor refused......" Yuan Tan replied hatefully as soon as he mentioned the matter.

"The eldest prince still has to try, the lips are dead and the teeth are cold, the third prince is not a generous person, once the eldest prince loses power, the second prince may not be spared. But everything must be prepared for the worst, if the second prince is really determined to stand on the side of the third son, then the eldest prince must also deal with it here. Otherwise, if you attack from both sides, the chances of the eldest prince will be even lower. ”

"Mr. Xin, will Ji An'an?" Yuan Tan hurriedly asked when he heard this.

"I heard that Gongsun Du of Liaodong has always been quite ambitious, if the second prince is determined to ignore the matter of joining forces, then just in case, the eldest prince can promise Gongsun Du that as long as he can contain the second son's Youzhou army, half of Youzhou will be given to him afterwards."

"What? Gifted to Gongsun Du? Mr. Xin, my father has always emphasized that every inch of land must be contested......"

"The eldest prince is confused, as long as he is the lord of Hebei, with the strong strength of Hebei, what is there to be afraid of a Gongsun Du, when the time comes, not only will he spit out the half of Youzhou, but it will not be a problem to destroy his Gongsun Du's family."

"What Mr. Xin said is that a certain little family is angry. But Mr. Xin, even if we can say that Gongsun Du is moving, there are still 200,000 people in Yuan Shang, plus 100,000 people in Gao Gan, we are still at a disadvantage. ”

Seeing that Yuan Tan agreed to his proposal, Xin Ping was reassured, "Don't worry, the eldest son, without the constraints of the second prince, there is nothing to worry about there." The second prince has to guard against Liaodong and the foreign races in the north, and Gao Gan also has to guard against the Huns entrenched in the state, as long as the eldest prince sends someone to promise benefits to the Huns, they will drag Gao Gan for the eldest prince. In addition, the eldest prince has to find a way to ask for a soldier from the third prince......"

"Mr. Xin......" Yuan Tan had to interrupt Xin's comments again, and said in embarrassment: "Mr. Xin, it is easy to buy the Huns, it is nothing more than spending some money, you can ask for someone from Yuan Shang, how can he give it to me." ”

"I can't help him not give it, can the eldest prince know Chang Xi?"

Yuan Tan nodded and said: "I know, this person was originally one of the Taishan thieves, first descended to Lu Bu, and then to Cao Cao, because this person has a repetitive temperament, so even Zang Ba and others, who are also Taishan thieves, do not want to see him." Why did the gentleman suddenly mention this person? ”

"The eldest prince, can you get a soldier from the third prince, but it will fall on this Changxi."

……

Dongwu County, Xuzhou

Since Zang Ba surrendered to Cao Cao, the Taishan thieves have been rewarded to varying degrees, among which Zang Ba has the best treatment, and Chang Xi, at least in Chang Xi's own opinion, he has the worst treatment and was thrown to Dongwu as the incumbent. As the saying goes, people have to die more than people, and everything is a general, Zang Ba can serve as the general of Xiapi, and his subordinates can control tens of thousands of horses, and he can only nest in the ghost place of Tobu as a county commander.

"In this place, there is no one to ask for people, and there is no money to ask for money, so it is not as happy as when I was the king of the mountain." Chang Xi is not a person with much loyalty, which is also the fundamental reason why Cao Cao reused Zang Ba but alienated Chang Xi. Chang Xi is the master of the mother who has milk, and whoever gives the benefits, he will mix with whomever he wants. There is nothing wrong with this, good birds choose trees to perch, but as a betrayed person, Chang Xi's way of "seeking another job" is not easy to accept.

"Boss, there is a scribe from outside the city, who says it is your old friend." His subordinates ran into the county government to report that Chang Xidao, who was drinking.

"Huh? Lao Tzu still has old friends? Who does he say he is? Chang Xi was stunned when he heard this, touched his big bald head and asked with a puzzled expression.

"I didn't say it, but he said his surname was Chen."

"The surname is Chen......" Chang Xi thought hard, but never remembered that he still knew an old friend surnamed Chen, so he was fine at the moment, so he ordered the minions who came to report the news: "Bring him in, if Lao Tzu hasn't seen it, he will cut him with a knife, and it just so happens that his hand is itching in the past two days." ”

The minion left in response, and after a while, he brought in a scribe dressed as a scholar, and when he saw the face of the person who came, Chang Xi's face couldn't help but change, and he stood up suddenly, "Chen Gong, you dare to come here?" ”

"Hahaha...... Chang Xi, a visit from an old friend, is he reluctant to even have a glass of water and wine? Chen Gong laughed and stepped forward to ask Chang Xi.

Chang Xi's expression was uncertain, and he seemed to have thought about it for a long time, and then he grinned, "Mr. Chen is so bold, he dares to come to Lao Tzu, not afraid that Lao Tzu will take you to Cao Cao to receive a reward?" ”

"Chang Xi, if you really have the heart to take me to Cao Cao to receive a reward, how can you allow me to speak here."

"Hahaha...... Mr. Chen is really powerful, and he can see through what Lao Tzu thinks at a glance. What are you still doing in a daze? I don't have any eyesight, so I don't want to prepare food and drinks. Chang Xi laughed and glared at the minion at the door.

Ask Chen Gong to sit down, Chang Xi asked Chen Gong at this time: "Mr. Chen, I'm afraid you didn't come here today just to visit Lao Tzu, right?" ”

"Huh...... Chang Xi, how did you live a happy life after voting for Cao Cao? Chen Gong asked without answering.

"Cao Cao treats Lao Tzu quite well, I, Changxi, used to be a thief at most, and now I am also an official master, isn't it?" Chang Xi smiled with a contented look.

"Changxi, why deceive yourself." Chen Gong shook his head when he heard this: "What kind of character are you, don't I know yet?" I will not come to you in vain, but I will tell you the truth. Presumably you also know that my lord Yuan Shao was plotted by Cao Cao when he passed through Luoyang, although he was safe and sound, but my lord has been holding back this breath. Now that my lord is in good health, he will wave his troops to the south in the near future, and this Xuzhou is the place of the first battle. ”

"Why am I here?" Chang Xi couldn't help asking.

"Yanzhou has the Yellow River as a barrier, and it is easy to send troops from Qingzhou. Chang Xi, I have a large number of soldiers in Hebei, although I have not been able to take advantage of the imperial court before, but I have not hurt my muscles and bones, my eldest son Yuan Tan will lead an army of 150,000 as a vanguard, and he will arrive here in a few days. And at that time, I don't know what choice Chang Xi will make? ”

There are only about 5,000 people in Changxi, and they are all Changxi's old departments. Originally, before returning to Cao Cao, Chang Xi had 40,000 or 50,000 people, but after he voted for Cao Cao, the old and weak women and children under Chang Xi were taken away by Cao Cao, and these 5,000 people were specially left by Cao Cao for Chang Xi.

Of course, Chang Xi was reluctant to hand over his military power at first, but at that time, he was under the low eaves and had to bow his head. At that time, Cao Cao's soldiers were strong and strong, and the backlash of Zang Ba and Chen Deng hardly caused Cao Cao to suffer any losses, and then Lu Bu's surrender made Chang Xi feel desperate, so he had to agree to Cao Cao's arrangement.

“…… Mr. Chen, I wonder whose order you are here? Chang Xi was silent for a long time, and then asked Chen Gongdao.

"Since it was the order of my eldest son, then Cao Cao thinks that you are useless, but my eldest son does not think so. This time, my determination to enter the Central Plains in Hebei is very great, and I will not easily withdraw my troops, and you Changxi is not a person loyal to Cao Cao, and it is really not worth it to work hard for Cao Cao, so the eldest prince ordered me to come, as long as Changxi is willing, the eldest prince guarantees that what you can get in Hebei is definitely more than what you can get from Cao Cao. ”

"How much do you get?"

"One state can't be, but one county is."

“…… Let me think about it. Chang Xi didn't agree right away, and said to Chen Gong.

"Okay, then give you a day to think about it, and by noon tomorrow, you must give me a clear answer." Chen Gong nodded, not persecuting Chang Xi.

Ordered people to settle in Chen Palace, and Chang Xi considered the feasibility of surrendering Hebei alone. Betraying Cao Cao did not have any psychological burden for Chang Xi, and he would not feel anything shameful. was originally dissatisfied with Cao Cao, and the amount of remuneration given by Hebei was very generous, it seems that it is not difficult to choose which one is a county or a county.

……

"Sir, will Chang Xi agree?" There were no outsiders beside Chen Gong's relatives and others, so he asked Chen Gongdao.

"Yes, then Chang Xi is a villain repeatedly, since the eldest prince has offered a lot of money, how can he not take the bait, maybe he has decided now." Chen Gong replied without the slightest worry.

And the fact was just as Chen Gong expected, the next day before noon, Chang Xi sent someone to invite him. After seeing Chen Gong, Chang Xi said bluntly: "Mr. Chen, I thought about it for a long time last night and found that what you said was very right. That Cao Cao didn't have the capacity to accommodate people, so he only sent me a small county, Lao Tzu was stupid to defend the city for him before, it was really not worth it. Thanks to Mr. Chen for waking up Lao Tzu in time, and asked Mr. Chen to bring a message to the eldest son, saying that Chang Xi is willing to surrender, but I don't know which county the eldest prince promised? ”

“…… I don't know which county you want? Chen Gong asked when he heard this.

"If you can give me Guangling County, Chang Xi is grateful."

"Hmm...... This matter still depends on the meaning of the eldest prince, so I can't promise you for the time being, but don't worry, I will beautify your face in front of the eldest prince, but you also have to show some sincerity, otherwise it will be difficult for the eldest prince to speak. ”

"Oh, I wonder what Mr. Chen's sincerity is?" Chang Xi hurriedly asked.

"Chang Xi, you must also know that Cao Cao's gang denied it after the failure of assassinating my master, and blamed all the faults on Lu Bu. Therefore our lord knows it, but he has no proof. If you lead the troops to attack Qingzhou, then our Hebei army will have an excuse to raise troops to the south without being convinced, do you understand? Chen Gong looked at Chang Xi and said.

Of course Chang Xi understood, but he didn't get angry because of this, there was no good thing about pies in the sky, Chang Xi was worried that Chen Gong was lying to himself, but now hearing Chen Gong's explanation, Chang Xi was relieved, and he dared to cooperate with the performance.

"Mr. Chen, it's not difficult to send troops, but is this matter safe?"

"It's not really that you have to work hard, it's just pretending to act. You don't worry, how many people you go out, how many people come back. When Chen Gong heard this, he hurriedly said for Chang Xi. Seeing that Chang Xi's expression seemed to be a little hesitant, Chen Gong couldn't help but say: "Chang Xi, I know that you are a human being, so you can't listen to the others, I only ask you, you always understand how to reward meritorious deeds, right?" If you are doing your best, why should my lord let you take up the post of county warden? ”

Wealth has been sought since ancient times, Chang Xi thought about it carefully, and found that Chen Gong really had no place to deceive himself, and Chen Gong's last sentence also explained that Chang Xi, if he didn't make any contributions, it was indeed impossible to get the post of county guard.

"Mr. Chen, I don't know what arrangements the eldest prince has?" Chang Xi gritted his teeth and asked Chen Gongdao.

Seeing Chang Xi nodded, Chen Gong was secretly proud in his heart, "Don't worry, it's not for you to go to the soup, you just need to ...... like this."

……

Three days later

Chang Xi sent troops to Dongwu, went north along the river, and came to Gaomi, which was controlled by Yuan's army. As soon as he arrived outside Gaomi County, Chang Xi saw Chen Gong again.

"Mr. Chen, it's too late for the end, right?" When Chang Xi saw Chen Gong, he immediately laughed and asked.

"It's not late, it's not late, the eldest prince is very happy to learn that you're here. However, you can't stop here for the time being, and you need to continue your march north. ”

"Still north?" Chang Xi was stunned when he heard this, he thought that as long as he took over Gaomi, he would complete the task.

"Just one county town is breached, how can two families go to war. Don't worry, the eldest prince has already explained, as long as it appears under your banner, all counties will look down on the wind. ”

Hearing Chen Gong's words, Chang Xi's heart was a little relieved, and he didn't turn back when he opened the bow, he had already taken the first step at this time, how could he turn back. According to the arrangement of Chen Palace, Changxi's 5,000 men and horses are very powerful, and in less than half a month, they have connected Gaomi, Chang'an, Yingling and other places, and are close to Pingshou. Along the way, all over the country looked at the wind and fell, so that Chang Xi fluttered at the same time, the news of Cao's army attacking Qingzhou also reached Yecheng.

Guo Tu, who had been waiting for many days, immediately ran to see Yuan Shao without saying a word. Whether it was what Xin Ping said to Yuan Tan or Chen Gong said to Chang Xi, the situation about Yuan Shao was not accurate. Although Yuan Shao was not terminally ill at this time, he was also temporarily unable to manage things, but it was no problem to listen to the reports of his subordinates.

"Lord, something is wrong." Guo Tu ran over all the way like a mourner, so angry that Yuan Shao, who was drinking tonics, was almost choked, and before Guo Tu could speak, Yuan Shao pointed at Guo Tu and scolded: "I'm not dead yet, what are you crying about!" ”

"Lord, it's not good, Cao Cao sent troops to attack Qingzhou, and in less than half a month, he has already connected several cities......"

"What did you say?" Yuan Shaoyu didn't believe what he heard.

"My lord, Cao Cao sent troops to attack Qingzhou, this is a request for help sent by the eldest prince." Guo Tu said and handed over the information in his hand.

Yuan Shao snatched it, just glanced at it a few times, and then trembled with anger, and scolded in his mouth: "Cao Agui, really don't miss the slightest friendship?" Before the words fell, Yuan Shao felt a sweetness in his throat, and a mouthful of blood spurted out, so startled that Guo Tu on the side hurriedly shouted: "Quick, go and ask for a doctor." ”