Chapter 128 Yuan Shao's Plan for Jizhou Although Xu Rong was gone and Liu Bei was there, Dong Zhuo's ambush plan was still successful. Cao Cao and Liu Bei each lost a lot of soldiers and horses. Fortunately, this time they had Liu Bei's help. The two of them fought and retreated under the joint attack of Lu Bu, Li Jue and Guo Si, and finally escaped safely. Sun Jian still "accidentally" obtained the imperial seal, and immediately became ambitious and prepared to resign on the grounds of illness. However, how could all this be hidden from Yuan Shao's eyes. Not surprisingly, Yuan Shao, as the leader of the alliance, asked for it directly in public. No matter who does the work, the results must be handed over to me and I will be the one to distribute them. How could Sun Jian be willing to accept this? He had been fighting so hard in the front, but this group of people not only refused to help him, but also hindered him and played dirty tricks on him. He finally got something, but now this group of people wanted to get away. How could it be possible? But now the allied forces were too powerful and Sun Jian could only lie and claim that he had never obtained the imperial seal.
In the allied camp, Tian Ze shook his head slightly as he watched Sun Jian swearing an oath under Yuan Shao's questioning. Sun Jian is a tough guy, but unfortunately he doesn't have much brains. In this campaign against Dong Zhuo, Sun Jian was the one with the most outstanding performance, but unfortunately, he was also one of the princes who suffered the worst ending. Many military officers and generals died, and they got the imperial seal but also lost their lives. Why bother? During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Sun Jian was able to rise to higher positions by working hard because he followed the right people. Although Huangfu Song and others were a bit pedantic, they still had integrity. But now you are following Yuan Shao, and it’s good enough that he doesn’t kill you, yet you still dare to fight to the death. A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Yuan Shao had already planted a traitor in Sun Jian's army and pointed it out in public. Sun Jian was immediately enraged and wanted to kill the witnesses, but was stopped by Yan Liang and Wen Chou. Wow, these two brothers were not here during the battle against Lu Bu and Hua Xiong, but they show up at this time. The weak Sun Jian gritted his teeth, left without saying goodbye, and left the allied forces in disgrace. Anyway, as long as he held on, Yuan Shao would be unable to do anything to him. Although his previous military exploits and reputation were almost all gone, Sun Jian felt it was worth it in exchange for the imperial seal. How could Yuan Shao, who had forced Sun Jian away, be willing to let the jade seal fall into Sun Jian's hands? He immediately wrote a letter and sent it to Jingzhou overnight, asking Liu Biao to intercept and seize it on the way. The next day, the defeated Liu Bei and Cao Cao also returned to the allied camp, and the princes looked at them as if they were laughing at them. Yuan Shao seemed to be comforting on the surface, but in his heart he was also gloating. The goals of the various princes had already been achieved. Now Dong Zhuo had completely lost his righteousness, and the morale of the army and the people had also dissipated. He could only retreat to the west of Chang'an and was no longer a concern. What's the point of catching up with him now? Save the emperor and support the Han Dynasty? If the emperor is rescued, what will these princes do? Will they continue to be his subjects? An emperor who is controlled by rebels is a good emperor! This was also the reason why when the emperor was wandering around in the future, Yuan Shao would rather secretly instigate the Baibo bandits to coerce and control him than to please him. It was a pity that the emperor was finally welcomed back by Cao Cao, a man who did not follow the "rules". This made Yuan Shao feel very awkward. Are there great benefits to serving the emperor? Very much. You can command the princes, recruit heroes, and win the support of the people. These were extremely important to Cao Cao, who was surrounded by powerful enemies and was not strong enough at the time, and played a crucial role in his future rise.
But what about Yuan Shao, who was already famous and powerful? The effect was also great, but not so obvious. However, the disadvantages of serving the emperor were not small, as it was like putting a yoke on oneself. When Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao and became powerful, the disadvantages became obvious. Not only did they fall into a long-term internal conflict, but various rebellions continued. When they were fighting outside, there was no peace in the rear. It's not that Yuan Shao didn't see the benefits of serving the emperor. It's just that for the weak princes, serving the emperor has more benefits than disadvantages, but for Yuan Shao, who had basically established his capital in Hebei and defeated Gongsun Zan, it might not be the case. Yuan Shao's Guangwu plan had almost been realized at that time. He was confident that he could make a big move, so why did he dig such a big hole for himself in the future just for the sake of a small profit in the short term? But when the emperor was held in the hands of Cao Cao and taught him the correct way to use it, Yuan Shao could no longer sit still and immediately asked for it. Because even though the emperor himself doesn't want this thing, he doesn't want to give it to others even more. The originally chaotic, divided yet balanced situation in the Central Plains was thus broken, and Cao Cao had a way to unify the Central Plains, which was something Yuan Shao did not want to see. Many of the princes present understood this truth, so they had little interest in serving the emperor, and they also did not want to see other princes welcome the emperor back. Many of them have little reputation and ability. After serving the emperor, it is unclear whether they can keep control over the situation. If the emperor takes control of the situation, they will be reduced from being local lords to being temporary workers, and there is also the risk of being abandoned. Why bother? Facing the puzzled looks from the other princes, Liu Bei and Cao Cao felt filled with anger and powerlessness. They didn't expect that all the princes who came to fight against Dong were such selfish and short-sighted people. Now, more than a year has passed since the alliance, and the food and grass of each prince are running low. Everyone is thinking of disbanding. After Sun Jian took the lead, the disheartened Liu Bei and Cao Cao also returned home. Yuan Shao was reluctant to stop them. After all, both of them had made great contributions, and he was in the wrong. Seeing this, the various princes also evacuated. Yuan Shao also returned to Bohai. If he doesn't come back, he won't be able to hold on. Han Fu is indeed the man arranged by Dong Zhuo. His short-sightedness and vicious methods give Yuan Shao a headache. When the princes first started to attack Dong Zhuo, this guy was still hesitating whether to help Yuan or Dong Zhuo. Before the alliance was dissolved, they began to reduce Yuan Shao's military supplies in an attempt to starve Yuan Shao's army out of existence. They even sent heavy troops to harass Yuan Shao's troops late at night during their march to disrupt the morale of the army. Such suicidal behavior was truly despicable and it was obvious that he was not fit for a ruler, but it successfully disgusted Yuan Shao. "My lord, we must act as soon as possible, otherwise Jizhou will be lost for a long time and it will be easy for others to obtain it." Feng Ji advised. The governors and provincial governors appointed by Dong Zhuo in the name of the imperial court were all well-considered. Most of them were incompetent in talking but good at causing trouble and hindering the team's progress. Although it won't accomplish anything big, it will greatly slow down our progress. This is the golden period for grabbing territory. If you fall behind, you will fall behind step by step. We must act as soon as possible. "But Tian Ze is a slippery guy and really hard to deal with," Yuan Shao said with a frown. Before the alliance was dissolved, he took the initiative to invite Tian Ze to a banquet to discuss the affairs of Jizhou. Tian Ze had a very good attitude, he was warm, polite, respectful and courteous, but when asked about business matters, he looked confused, talked about irrelevant things and didn't say a single definite word. Yuan Shao didn't know whether Tian Ze really had no intention of Jizhou or had seen through his plan, but this plan failed. "Why not contact the Southern Xiongnu and the Baibo Army and let them take action and it will be the same." A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Feng Ji's eyes. "Although these two are willing to obey some of my orders, they have wicked ambitions. I am afraid that if we invite them here, Jizhou will be in trouble." Yuan Shao said hesitantly.
He was not worried about the people of Jizhou, but he now regarded Jizhou as his own territory. If it was harmed by these barbarians and bandits, his strength in the future would be greatly reduced. "If you don't make a decision, you will suffer the consequences. My lord, this matter cannot be delayed." Feng Ji said earnestly. "Okay!" At this time, Yuan Shao did not have the blind arrogance and indecisiveness that he would have when he unified Hebei in the future. After weighing the pros and cons, he made the decision immediately. "Immediately contact Yu Fuluo, Yang Feng and others, ask them to prepare to send troops, and tell them that I am willing to share Jizhou with them equally." Yuan Shao said decisively, his eyes full of determination. "My lord is wise!" Feng Ji, Xu You and others bowed in admiration. (End of this chapter)