Chapter 133 Yuan Shao's careful consideration Seeing that the flaws he deliberately revealed did not let the opponent fall into the trap, Tian Ze couldn't help but sigh. "It's okay, lord. We have thought of this a long time ago, haven't we?" Guo Jia didn't care. "This test is just to see the quality of the enemy. Now it seems that there must be wise men among this garrison who can come up with strategies. I'm afraid it will be impossible to break through in a short period of time." "I understand." Tian Ze nodded. Afterwards, Tian Ze ordered Le Jin to lead 10,000 infantrymen to withdraw to Yi County, while he himself followed Guan Yu and Ma Teng's army and continued to pursue and kill them. Xu Huang, who was guarding Zhuo County, led 15,000 elite troops and marched directly into the area north of Boling County, Zhongshan County, and Changshan County. Within just a few days, he occupied a territory nearly the size of two counties. Moreover, these places are backed by mountains and rivers, making them easy to defend but difficult to attack. Because of the previous incursion of this group of bandits, all the local officers and soldiers were driven away, and Xu Huang was able to recover the lost territory without any effort. Feng Ji, who was still leading his troops stationed in the camp opposite Yi County, suddenly became gloomy when he heard the news.
But at this moment he was helpless and didn't even dare to move. He could not capture Yi County; he could not defeat or catch up with the army led by Tian Ze; if he chose to march his troops out of Youzhou, he was worried about being ambushed by Tian Ze. Although he didn't know that Jiang Qin's 10,000 naval forces were surrounding him, he guessed that with Tian Ze's style of deploying troops, he would definitely have a backup plan. As for the great enemy Tian Ze, through his personal experience and combined with the much intelligence he had collected before, he had already figured out a little bit. Yuan Shao, who was leading his army on a frantic journey, showed no change in expression when he heard the news, but his hand holding the reins could not help but tighten a little. "My lord, I was not thoughtful enough. I hope you can forgive me!" Seeing this, Xu You on the side quickly spoke up and took the blame. He and Feng Ji were both Yuan Shao's earliest supporters and representatives of the Nanyang faction. It was Feng Ji's idea to lead the Southern Xiongnu and the Baibo bandits into Jizhou, but he also participated in it. If someone needs to take responsibility for such a serious crime, it must be him, because Feng Ji has the ability to lead troops and is indispensable. "It's okay. I have already prepared myself mentally for such a situation. This is my decision. You and Yuan Tu are both working for me. What's wrong with that?" Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao said without hesitation, his tone full of sincerity and determination. Upon hearing this, Xu You and the surrounding civil and military officials immediately admired Yuan Shao even more and were willing to die for him. What is a wise leader? Yuan Shao at this time is a typical example. Be determined, select talented people, dare to make decisions, and be willing to take responsibility. Advisors can offer advice, but a wise leader can make decisive decisions and dare to take responsibility and pay the price. At this moment, Yuan Shao looked extremely tall and majestic. Ju Shou, Shen Pei and others who had newly joined his army had now completely surrendered. Tian Ze's actions just poured a bucket of cold water on Yuan Shao, who was full of complacency at the time, and made him completely sober up. Yuan Shao knew very well that it was inevitable for him to gain Jizhou, as it was in the best interest of the majority of Jizhou's aristocratic families. When Xun Chen, Guo Tu and others contacted him, the matter had already been decided. Han Fu's abdication was just a way for Yuan Shao to make his ascension to the throne more legitimate. After all, although it was inevitable to get Jizhou, how to get it was also very important. This involved the secret game between him and the Hebei family, which determined his control and voice over Jizhou in the future.
If he directly eliminated Han Fu and ascended to the position of Governor of Jizhou, his notoriety as a lord-eater would be impossible to wash away. He came to the position illegitimately, and he would probably be constrained by the aristocratic families in the future. Even though he has let a wolf in, resulting in the looting of half of Jizhou and the occupation of nearly two counties by Tian Ze, the greater good is on his side, and these losses are not unacceptable. After all, most of Jizhou's money and grain were in the hands of the wealthy and powerful families, so the damage to the people would not cause too much loss. The territory occupied by Tian Ze was not a fertile land, but some marginal land. However, Tian Ze was able to react so quickly, and his actions were so steady, accurate and ruthless, which was beyond his imagination. Tian Chengshou, a strong rival! At this time, Yuan Shao had completely suppressed his arrogance after having just annexed a state. In his original plan, he had already taken into account the possibility of Tian Ze's invasion, and he even had the idea of using him to compete with the Jizhou families for the right to speak. Because he understood that the reason he was able to gain the support of the Jizhou families so easily was largely due to Tian Ze. With such a Wang Mang-like figure appearing in the north and the threat imminent, the Jizhou families naturally had to unite and choose a powerful lord to resist Tian Ze. So Yuan Shao became their best choice. He was born into the Yuan family, which had three generations of officials. He had extraordinary charisma and reputation throughout the world. Although he did not have much foundation in Jizhou, he united the princes and achieved remarkable results in defeating Dong Zhuo. Isn’t this another Liu Xiu? Yuan Shao just wanted to follow Liu Xiu's path. The two naturally hit it off. But although the aristocratic families and Yuan Shao had the same interests at this time, they both knew that their fundamental interests were not the same. The example of the Eastern Han Dynasty is right in front of us. What Yuan Shao naturally wants is to cooperate appropriately with the aristocratic families in order to gain more voice, but the aristocratic families in Jizhou want to deepen their ties and directly become major shareholders. When they obtained Jizhou, the two were in the initial stage of cooperation and had the best relationship, but it was also a critical period to determine who would have the right to speak. It depended on who lost their patience first and who would give up more chips first. Therefore, Yuan Shao had long planned to go to war with Tian Ze, as having an external enemy would resolve internal troubles. If he wins, it will demonstrate Yuan Benchu's strength and tell the Jizhou heroes clearly that the one who will win the world will be him, Yuan Benchu. Following him will give them meat to eat and their influence will be greatly enhanced. If he was defeated, the army under his command would mostly consist of soldiers from aristocratic families and not those recruited by him, so he could even shift the blame for the defeat. As long as he doesn't lose too badly or completely, and as long as his troops and territory aren't damaged too much, he can make a comeback at any time. Because the Jizhou noble families had no other choice, in order to protect themselves, they could only choose to trust Yuan Benchu, and would certainly provide him with more food and wages, so that his direct troops could grow rapidly and gain dominance. Regardless of victory or defeat, the one who benefits is Yuan Benchu. Just like the Gongsun Zan he faced in the original historical trajectory, although the battle at Jie Bridge almost led to a disaster, the victory was a close call and determined Gongsun Zan's inevitable defeat. In fact, the Battle of Jie Bridge did not cause significant losses to both sides. The defeated Gongsun Zan was still able to launch the Battle of Longcou and the Battle of Jumashui in the following year. But Yuan Shao achieved his goal. Gongsun Zan was extremely hostile to powerful families because he was also from a noble family, but was born out of wedlock, the same situation as Yuan Shao. But he was not as lucky as Yuan Shao. He was looked down upon because of his status as a bastard's son. His journey was extremely bumpy. He experienced life and death several times. In addition, he found a good father-in-law, and only then did he grow up from a minor official. Deep down, he was extremely resistant and resentful towards the aristocratic families, just like Yuan Shao towards Yuan Shu, so he kept suppressing the powerful aristocratic families. Whether he wins or loses the war with Gongsun Zan, he will definitely benefit, because because of Gongsun Zan's character and behavior, the aristocratic families will never choose Gongsun Zan. As long as the war goes to war, he, Yuan Shao, will be able to obtain more resources and voice from the aristocratic families. However, the power of the aristocratic families is simply not comparable to that of Gongsun Zan. If this continues, he will be the one who benefits in the end.
Yuan Shao, who came from the Yuan family, was best at political means. He knew that the importance of choice was far greater than hard work, so he had already thought carefully about his future. When he chose Jizhou, half of the world was basically under his control. (End of this chapter)