kvmb Chapter 231 Ding Yuan's Hongmen Banquet
Chapter 231 Ding Yuan's Hongmen Banquet
Chapter 231 Ding Yuan's Hongmen Banquet
The second year of Yonghan, early March.
As winter gradually fades away, the city of Luoyang is regaining its vitality.
From Shangshu Terrace, Da Sima Mansion, and Yushi Terrace in the palace to Liucao outside the palace, Tingwei Mansion, etc., all were busy and busy.
All government affairs are being promoted with unprecedented efficiency.
Officials.
Xun You is preparing to leave the capital for an inspection and is stepping up the handling of government affairs.
He looked at the document in his hand, his face showing a trace of solemnity as he muttered to himself: "Guo Jia, Chen Qun, Xi Zhicai, Wang Lang... so many people were promoted at the same time, is Your Majesty going to train new people?"
The court and the public saw it clearly, and His Majesty in the palace was deeply moved by Lu Zhi's death.
The current situation of the imperial court is clearly a period of transition.
There are almost no people who can succeed Prime Minister Yang Biao and Grand Marshal Huangfu Song!
"Minister, this is the memorial from Kong Rong, the Prime Minister of Beihai." While Xun You was lost in thought, a minor official came in and said.
Xun You came to his senses, took the memorial, took just a glance at it, and then frowned.
In his memorial, Kong Rong summarized a series of things Cao Cao did in Beihai and Donglai counties, believing that he was "a treacherous and evil person who must not be tolerated". He also impeached the Donglai County governor Huangfu Jianshou for "aiding the evil and shielding Cao Cao".
"It seems that I have to go to Qingzhou again."
Xun You seemed to be thinking about something.
Since Qingzhou was pacified by Cao Cao, various disturbances have occurred one after another, among which the impeachment against Cao Cao has never stopped.
Kong Rong, the Prime Minister of Beihai, was the main force, and even the governor of the state, Zhu Jun, had "some complaints"; in the court, the previous Wang Yun had been pursuing him closely, and the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate had been investigating one after another, and they have not stopped until now.
"What's going on over at the Household Department?" After thinking for a long time, Xun You looked up and asked.
The clerk hurriedly said, "Minister Xun of the Ministry of Revenue has made preparations and plans to leave the capital and go to Bingzhou tomorrow."
Xun You nodded. This was the plan that had been made long ago.
"Is there anything else?" Xun You asked when he saw that the clerk had not left.
The clerk hesitated and said, "Shangshu, I don't know if this is accurate."
Xun You picked up the document and prepared to deal with it, and asked, "Where is the news?"
"From the palace." The clerk blurted out.
Xun You paused, stared at him, and said, "Speak."
The clerk glanced outside the door, stepped forward and whispered, "Minister, there is a rumor in the palace that His Majesty is preparing to inspect Jizhou."
"what!"
Xun You's expression changed immediately, and then he asked solemnly, "What time?"
The clerk said, "I'm not sure. This news is also ambiguous. I don't know where it came from. It's hard to tell whether it's true or not."
Xun You understood, however, that this news was most likely true.
The palace released this news as a test and also as a preliminary preparation.
Xun You thought for a while and said, "I understand. By the way, you pass the message to the Grand Marshal's Mansion and tell him that I need to discuss something important with him."
"Yes." The clerk responded and stepped back.
After much deliberation, Xun You decided to oppose Liu Bian's tour.
Jizhou has just been settled, and the rebellion of the Black Mountain Army and various Yellow Turban Army has not been completely eliminated, and may reappear at any time. It is too dangerous for His Majesty in the palace to go on a tour to Jizhou!
The next day, Xun Yu, the Minister of Revenue, left the capital to inspect Bingzhou.
Ten days later, Xun You, the Minister of Personnel, left Luoyang and inspected Yanzhou and Qingzhou.
By April, the two men had not returned to the capital, so Sima Jun, the Minister of Justice, entered Yuzhou and Runan County to clean up the remnants of the cases of Wang Yun, Li Ru and others.
In June, Liu Xie, King of Bohai, was ordered to leave Jizhou to inspect the civil affairs of Jizhou, with a focus on salt administration.
In mid-June, the Grand Marshal's Office issued an order to appoint Zhang Liao as the General of the Liao River and Zhao Yun as the General of the Five Officials to lead 20,000 troops to attack the invading Wuhuan. At the same time, the Xiongnu were ordered to send 5,000 troops to assist.
In August, Huang Zhong was appointed as the General of the Left and led troops to suppress the bandits on the borders of Bingzhou and Jizhou. He defeated Yu Du outside Shangdang County, beheaded 2,000 people and captured 8,000. Yu Du escaped with only a dozen people.
In September, Zhang Liao defeated the Wuhuan, beheaded 5,000 of them, and pursued them for 300 miles, returning with a great victory.
In October, the Court Justice Zhong Yao entered Liang Province again. Han Sui, a member of the Three Qiang tribe, submitted his allegiance and was appointed as the Captain of Changshui by the imperial court.
While the situation in the North was going very well, the war in the South entered a more intense phase.
Sun Jian left Wujun and attacked Danyang. He occupied Danyang and half of Kuaiji, and held out against Ju Yi in Yongning.
Yuan Shao and Ding Yuan joined forces, attacked Hefei, defeated Zhang He, and the army successfully entered Lujiang and besieged Zhang He in Jiangxia.
On the other side, Liu Biao could not withstand Yuan Shu's fierce attack and retreated to Changsha, holding on to the isolated city.
The good news is that the soldiers and horses of Yizhou who had originally entered Nanjun suddenly withdrew for unknown reasons. This territory fell into the hands of Liu Biao and others, which made them no longer suffer from the enemy, and provided a great depth of space.
In Jiaozhi, especially in Nanhai County, big families such as Shi Xie, including some barbarians, launched a tenacious attack on Yuan Shu, forcing Yuan Shu's plan to occupy Jiaozhi to fail.
Overall, the influence of Yuan Shu's rebels was rapidly reduced and their morale was severely damaged.
Xuzhou, Guangling County, Jiangdu County.
In a seemingly ordinary teahouse, Huangfu Jian was lying on the table, staring with glowing eyes at Cheng Yu who was looking at various documents with a thoughtful look.
Cheng Yu read the letters one by one, and quickly deduced in his mind. After a while, he looked up at Huangfu Jianchang and said, "Second Master, from the current perspective, Yuan Shu's rebels may not be able to hold out for long."
Although Huangfu Jianchang was Huangfu Song's second son, he didn't know much about military matters. He just asked, "Can it be pacified this year?"
Cheng Yu shook his head and said, "The Grand Marshal's Mansion has also paid a huge price for this expedition, and it is winter now, so we can no longer use troops and will have to delay until next year."
Huangfu Jianchang sat back down somewhat disappointedly, muttering, "This shouldn't be the case. Dad has always been very thorough in his plans and would never give up halfway..."
Cheng Yu looked at him and said, "Second Master, the Grand Marshal is far away in the capital. This time, there are nine armies. No matter how good the strategy is, it depends on the people who execute it to fully implement it. This kind of victory is not easy to achieve."
Huangfu Jian smacked his lips, then immediately put aside all the information and asked, "What's the news from Yuan Shu's army?"
Cheng Yu glanced at the documents on the table and said, "The army is demoralized, food and grass are insufficient, and some aristocratic families have fled. From the intelligence from various sources, some staff members are looking for a way out."
Huangfu Jian nodded. Yuan Shu was in such a situation that his defeat was inevitable. It was human nature to look for other ways to survive.
"Way out, what way out?" Suddenly, Huangfu Jian grasped the key point and asked Cheng Yu.
Cheng Yu's expression slightly changed, and he said, "The spy hidden by the Second Young Master sent a letter saying that some people went to Yuzhou. Dong Zhuo's staff, Jia Xu and Li Ru, appeared in Yuan Shu's tent one after another."
Huangfu Jian sat up straight and said in shock, "They want to form an alliance? No, no, no, the Yuan family was destroyed by Dong Zhuo. There is no way Yuan Shu will form an alliance with Dong Zhuo!"
Cheng Yu pondered for a moment, and said: "Second Young Master, under this situation, Yuan Shu may not form an alliance with Dong Zhuo. Even if they do not form an alliance, once Yuan Shu is defeated, those rebels will have nowhere to go. Perhaps, they can only defect to Dong Zhuo."
Huangfu Jian sneered and said, "Wishful thinking!"
Cheng Yu was still calculating the intelligence from various places in his mind, and said: "Second Master, now is the most critical moment."
Huangfu Jianchang naturally understood that Yuan Shu's sphere of influence had been greatly compressed, and his defeat was only a matter of time. At this time, the most important thing was one word: stability!
As long as we can keep stable and survive the cold winter, the imperial court will be able to mobilize the entire army to wipe out Yuan Shu's rebellion in one fell swoop next year!
"What should I do?" Huangfu Jian asked. It's not that he has no idea, but the matter is of great importance and he can't do whatever he wants like before.
Shi A stood not far away, holding a sword, listening to the conversation between the two.
Cheng Yu was also thinking about this in his mind. After a while, he said, "Second Master, attacking from the outside can certainly lead to victory, but it will definitely cost a lot. Attacking from the inside is the easiest and has the lowest cost."
Huangfu Jianchang understood instantly and asked, "You mean, instigating rebellion?"
Cheng Yu's expression gradually became firm, and he said, "Yuan Shu's letter of surrender is a great opportunity. If used well, it may be of great use!"
Huangfu Jian's eyes were bright and eight hundred ideas flashed through his mind in an instant.
This kind of thing is what he is best at!
Seeing this, Shi A interrupted and said, "I think Xu You can be used. I heard that he is being marginalized in Yuan Shao's army, and Yuan Shu is becoming increasingly dissatisfied with him."
Huangfu Jianchang nodded heavily and said, "Old Shi is right. That thing is not worth anything. It has too many disadvantages."
At this point, he suddenly looked at Cheng Yu and said, "I remember you just said that Jia Xu and Li Ru are in Yuan Shu's army. Can we capture or kill them on the way?"
Cheng Yu shook his head and said, "It was only when we arrived that our spies informed us. We had no idea when to leave or which route to take, so it was difficult to ambush us."
Huangfu Jian smacked his lips unwillingly and said, "So, plan to make Yuan Shu suspicious and kill Jia Xu and Li Ru?"
Cheng Yu was startled and said, "Counter-espionage? It's a bit difficult. After all, we are not sure whether Jia Xu and Li Ru are still in Yuan Shu's army."
Huangfu Jianchang felt a little uncomfortable and said helplessly: "We have to find a way to rebuild the intelligence route. Now it is intermittent, and the news comes too late. It is too late to do anything."
Cheng Yu agreed and said, "Second Master is right."
Because of the constant wars everywhere, the channels laid by Chief Huangfu Jian were torn to pieces and the message was not delivered in a timely manner.
"Captain,"
A guard in casual clothes came in from outside, handed over a letter, and said, "An urgent letter from Gaoyou."
Huangfu Jianchang took it quickly and checked it carefully. Seeing that it had not been opened before, he tore it open, took it out and read it carefully, then handed it to Cheng Yu and said, "Sir, Ding Yuan wants to hold a Hongmen Banquet."
Cheng Yu had already thought of it in his mind, so he took it and read it carefully. After a moment of hesitation, he said solemnly, "Second Master, it's good that Ding Yuan succeeded. If Ding Yuan fails, the consequences will be disastrous."
The content of the letter was very simple. Ding Yuan had just joined forces with Yuan Shao to defeat Zhang He, and his momentum was high. However, he had no soldiers under his command. His adopted son Lu Bu, who was supposed to obey his orders, refused his call and instead had an ambiguous relationship with Dong Zhuo.
Ding Yuan had endured for so long, but finally he couldn't bear it anymore.
Huangfu Jian thought for a while and said, "Let's go to Gaoyou!"
Cheng Yu immediately reminded him, "Second Master, if we go over there, Ding Yuan may not listen to us, and we cannot check and balance Lu Bu. We need to mobilize troops to suppress him."
Huangfu Jianchang suddenly felt a toothache and said, "This is not Yanzhou. Let alone Ding Yuan and Lu Bu, even Sun Jian will not listen to my account. The only one I can transfer is Guan Yu in Jiujiang, but the journey is too far. I am afraid it will be a done deal if we go back and forth."
Cheng Yu understood, frowned, and said, "There is no time to lose. Let's meet Ding Yuan first and help him succeed!"
Huangfu Jian stood up and said, "Old Shi, tell everyone in Xuzhou to get moving and keep an eye on Lu Bu and Ding Yuan's every move. Report any situation immediately!"
"Okay!" Shi Ada frowned and responded calmly.
When Huangfu Jianchang led a group of people and rushed to Gaoyou non-stop, Ding Yuan's Hongmen Banquet had already begun.
Ding Yuan stood at the door with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face.
Not far away, the sound of horse hooves was like thunder, and Lu Bu was galloping towards them on a tall white horse.
Lu Bu had no intention of stopping and galloped past Ding Yuan.
The cold wind suddenly blew Ding Yuan's hat off, his hair was disheveled, and he looked very embarrassed.
Ding Yuan's eyes were gloomy, but his smile remained unchanged.
The servant put the hat back on Ding Yuan, and Lu Bu jumped off his horse and walked over with a big laugh.
"Foster father, I just got this horse, and I'm not familiar with it yet. Please forgive me." Lu Bu strode to Ding Yuan with a spear in hand.
Ding Yuan glanced at the long hair in his hand, smiled calmly and said: "It's okay, I should congratulate my son on this great victory. Come in and sit down."
Lu Bu didn't care at all and said, "Foster father, please!"
Ding Yuan looked at him for a moment, then smiled and walked inside first.
Lu Bu raised his foot and clenched the long hair in his hand tightly, staring at the position of Ding Yuan's heart, with a fierce look flashing across his face.
Ding Yuan seemed to sense it and looked at the guard not far in front of him.
The guard immediately stepped forward, holding the hilt of the knife.
"Ding Yuan!"
Lu Bu suddenly shouted, "I am the captain of Pinglu appointed by the imperial court, you dare to harm me!"
Ding Yuan ran forward and said urgently, "Close the door and kill this beast!"
Looking at the dozens of guards swarming over, Lu Bu sneered, and with a wave of his long hair, he swept away the two guards in front of him, strode towards Ding Yuan, and said angrily, "Ding Yuan kills courtiers at will, which is tantamount to conspiracy. , under the order of Taiwei Dong Gong, Ding Yuan will be killed, and those who surrender will not be held accountable!"
Lu Bu killed one person with every step he took, and Ding Yuan's guards were so frightened that they dared not rely on money.
Ding Yuan stood in front of the front hall, with more than 20 guards in front of him. He calmed down a little and sneered, "Dong Zhuo is a tiger and wolf, who doesn't know? You surrendered to Dong Zhuo, which is treason! Everyone, kill Lu Bu, and you will be promoted three levels and rewarded with ten thousand coins!"
Ding Yuan's soldiers, who had been prepared in advance, could no longer hold back after hearing these words, and rushed towards Lu Bu with roars.
Lü Bu showed no fear. He pointed his spear at Ding Yuan from a distance and said loudly, "Old villain, I will not be a human being if I don't kill you today!"
As soon as Lu Bu finished speaking, the closed door was suddenly pushed open, and Gao Shun and others, with their troops, led the way and strode in.
"My Lord! I am here!"
Gao Shun led more than a hundred men and rushed in, guarding Lu Bu.