Xun Yu sighed softly and shook his head helplessly.

After Yuan Shao killed all directions, there were basically no eunuchs in the palace. Ding Chong and other scholars served as attendants, and they could give advice at any time when they were around the emperor. If the emperor directly consulted him, Ding Chong and others would soon know the result and would regard him as an opponent. It would be much safer to convey it to Tang Ji. This is the emperor protecting him and preventing him from becoming the target of public criticism.

These were long ago in Xun Yu's plan. He asked the emperor to recall Tang Ji back to the palace for this purpose.

Xun Yu took this opportunity to explain the current difficulties to Tang Ji in detail. Sun Ce did not break up with the court, but he did not bow his head to obey. Yang Hong was driven away, Yang Xiu, Ma Chao and others became his subordinates, and Nanyang was still under his control. The concession he made was to hand over the taxes and contributions that Nanyang should pay, to slightly solve the financial difficulties of the court, and give the court a chance to breathe.

This is just the first round of confrontation. The court won on the surface, but in fact, the gains are limited. Sun Ce wanted to hold a martial arts competition in Nanyang, which also meant to test the hearts of the people. If talents from all over the world were more willing to go to Nanyang to serve, the court's moral advantage would become empty talk, and Sun Ce would be more aggressive next time.

To make the people of the world believe that the court still has hope, but the people's will, people like Yuan Shao and Sun Ce dare not act rashly. To make this point, the court must not only show the strength it deserves, but also grasp the measure and ensure that every step is successful. Even a small victory is better than failure. Because the court cannot afford to lose, as long as it loses once, the weakness of the court may be exposed, and more people will give up the court and turn to Yuan Shao, Sun Ce and others.

If you want to revive the Han Dynasty, relying solely on a few loyal ministers is not enough, and you must win the support of more people. After all, gentlemen who sacrifice their lives for justice are a minority, and most people still seek profit and avoid harm. If the court is too weak, no one will be willing to come.

At the same time, we must prevent Sun Ce from developing as much as possible. Transferring him to Kuaiji as the prefect is only the first step. Keeping him in Kuaiji and making him unable to take action to pay attention to the matters of the Central Plains is the key. Whether he is in Nanyang or Yuzhou is in Yuzhou is very important to the overall situation. Currently, the prefect of Wu County Sheng Xian, the prefect of Danyang Zhou Xin, and the prefect of Yuzhang Hua Xin are all scholars and are not Sun Ce’s opponents. If you want to trap Sun Ce in Kuaiji, you must select others to serve as the prefect of the three counties to form a surround.

Where do the talents come from? From the selection of the world, the court must immediately select outstanding and loyal talents to the court and arrange them to Yangzhou so that Sun Ce cannot escape. Even if the battle in Yangzhou is broken, it will not harm the court. Because from Sun Ce's overall layout, he just wants to occupy the southeast and take Yangzhou as his confidant. If Yangzhou is broken, Sun Ce's plan will still be affected. Only when Sun Ce cannot escape in Kuaiji can the court have time and space to move around. The most direct opportunity in front of him is to control Yizhou. With Yizhou, the financial difficulties of the court can be further alleviated and the strength to carry out the next siege against Yuan Shao.

This plan is grand and has great difficulties. You can't be rushed and need to be promoted step by step. After all these things are done, it will not be too late to change the era.

After listening to Xun Yu's plan, Tang Ji was convinced. "I am worthy of being the talent of the king and the master. It is a blessing for the Han Dynasty to have you as your assistant. Don't worry, I will convey it to you one by one on your side. I believe Your Majesty will understand your efforts and he will support you."

"Thank you nobleman."

——

Xun Yu left the palace and came to Sikong's mansion to ask for a meeting with Shi Sun Rui.

Seeing Xun Yu, Shi Sun Rui immediately put down his affairs, repelled the officials, and led Xun Yu to the inner hall. The inner hall was where the family lived, and only those who trusted each other and were close enough could enter. Xun Yu was very satisfied with Shi Sun Rui's appreciation. As Wang Yun's former colleague, Shi Sun Rui also had the help of Xun Yu and Yang Biao.

In front of Shi Sun Rui, Xun Yu did not beat around the bush and directly proposed the suggestion of seizing Hanzhong.

Liu Yan, the governor of Yizhou, was a royal family. He was asked to serve as the governor of Yizhou in the hope that he would be loyal to the court, but he obviously failed the hope of the court. Not only did he not give the court the due help, he cut off his ties with the court and sent people to occupy Hanzhong. Then he pretended that the thief had cut off the road and even stopped tribute. If the court did not punish him, Yizhou would not only not be able to become a helper for the court, but could become a threat to the court.

Shi Sunrui nodded and agreed. "Do you have a plan?"

Xun Yu was confident and had a talented person to help him. He was already clear about the situation in Hanzhong. Not long ago, Liu Yan sent Zhang Xiu and Zhang Lu to attack and kill Hanzhong prefect Zhang Gu. Later, Zhang Lu and Zhang Xiu had internal conflicts. Zhang Lu killed Zhang Xiu and took the Hanzhong prefect. Zhang Lu's mother, Lu, was good at ghosts and was good at governing life. She was trusted by Liu Yan. She often went to and from Liu Yan's mansion. Zhang Lu was highly regarded by Liu Yan. However, Zhang Lu was not loyal to Liu Yan. On the contrary, he was deeply ashamed of Liu Yan's relationship with his mother and always wanted to break away from Liu Yan's control. After killing Su Gu and Zhang Xiu, the resistance of the Hanzhong people was also very fierce. In order to appease the hearts of the people, Zhang Lu had to vigorously promote the Five Doks of Rice, showing them to others with tranquility and inaction.

The promotion of tranquility and inaction in troubled times clearly shows that he has no desire to compete for hegemony, and will not easily confront the court. If the court sends people to recruit people, he will have the opportunity to take Hanzhong into his pocket. Liu Yan's actions in Yizhou are very unpopular. The people of Yizhou resist continuously, but their strength is limited and they cannot drive Liu Yan away. The court will take back Hanzhong and induce talents in Yizhou, slowly take advantage of Liu Yan's foundation, and find another opportunity to transfer Liu Yan from Yizhou, and Yizhou will be able to return to the control of the court.

Shi Sun Rui thought for a long time and agreed to Xun Yu's plan. After Nanyang was basically stable, the court needed to fight a war to prove his strength. Hanzhong was a good choice. Taking Yizhou would make the court more room to move.

Xun Yu immediately proposed a plan. Ma Teng, Han Sui and Sun Ce secretly formed an alliance, and their strength increased greatly. They would hope to be promoted. At this time, they would definitely not object. After Ma Chao and Yan Xing left Chang'an, Huangfu Song could already control the Lantian camp. He sent Han Sui and Ma Teng from Wudu to Hanzhong, and Huangfu Song from Guanzhong to Hanzhong, attacked from two groups, causing a situation of large troops to be under the verge of troops. He sent people to lobby Zhang Lu, and the possibility of success would be greater. If Zhang Lu resisted stubbornly, the court would also have the opportunity to attack.

Shi Sun Rui smiled. "No need to be so troublesome. I recommend one person, which is enough to take Zhang Lu."

Xun Yu was overjoyed. "Which talent is Sikong talking about?"

Shi Sun Rui smiled with his palms. "You are in Yecheng, have you never heard of Zhang Ze, the Crouching Tiger?"

Xun Yu was slightly stunned, thinking. "I heard that Yuan Shao's invitation he rejected was a loyal minister who was interested in the court. Can he take Hanzhong?"
Chapter completed!