The pirates in Qingzhou were put down and the coastal trade routes were restored, which was a good thing for many people. The routes from Youzhou to Xuzhou, the Liaodong Peninsula and even the Korean Peninsula were restored.
The one who benefited the most from this was not Yuan Xi, but the Gongsun family.
Because Qingzhou pirates firmly blocked the sea area east of Donglai, which almost blocked the sea south of Liaodong County, Lelang County and Daifang County.
These are also the only two remaining counties among the four counties of the Han Dynasty. The remaining Zhenfan County and Lintun County were abandoned long ago and were gradually occupied by Dongyi and Mahan.
Even so, when Gongsun Yuan later established the Yan Kingdom and was attacked and destroyed by Sima Yi, the Liaodong area he occupied had more than 40,000 households and as many as 300,000 people.
The current headquarters of the Gongsun family is in Xiangping City in Liaodong County. It is surrounded by rich water systems and has dangerous terrain, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is also far away from the Central Plains and difficult to reach by all parties. It is an important place for the long-term operation of the Gongsun family's equipment.
In the palace in the city, Gongsun Du and Gongsun Kang were sitting and talking. In addition to Gongsun Gong and other Gongsun's children, there were also generals Zhang Chang, Yang Yi, Liu Yi, Wang Lie, Han Zhong, Wang Zan, Liang Mao,
Guan Ning, Bing Yuan, Guoyuan and dozens of others, many of whom are well-known people in China.
The reason why Gongsun Du had so many talented people was that, firstly, during the Qingzhou Chaos, many celebrities fled across the sea to Liaodong; secondly, many of them were forced to stay by Gongsundu, and in fact they did not serve Gongsundu wholeheartedly.
For example, Liang Mao, courtesy name Bofang, was born in Changyi, Shanyang. When he went to serve as the governor of Lelang, he was detained by Gongsun Du. His status was always regarded as half a hostage, but he still refused to surrender to Gongsun Du.
For example, the original name of Bing was Genju. He was a native of Zhuxu, Beihai. His family was poor and he was orphaned at an early age. He was quite learned. He was first promoted by Kong Rong, the prime minister of Beihai. When he took refuge in Liaodong, hundreds of people came to live in Liaodong within a year.
There is an endless stream of people and voices teaching knowledge.
For example, Guan Ning, whose courtesy name was You'an, was both from Zhuxu, Beihai County. Together with Hua Xin and Bingyuan, he was known as "Yilong", and he could interpret poetry, calligraphy, and etiquette.
These three men under Gongsun Du were the top celebrities in Liaodong, and everyone else followed them. However, these three people did not like Gongsun Du's recruitment. This was because Gongsun Du was from a humble background and was despised by the nobles. Gongsun Du also knew it well.
, both sides look down upon each other.
Gongsun Du's situation was very similar to Gongsun Zan's.
Although Gongsun Zan was born into a wealthy family, due to his mother's humble status, he could only serve as a minor official in the county at the beginning. He was looked down upon before he became rich. Once he became powerful, he began to take revenge on the gentry.
Today, these celebrities are temporarily staying in Liaodong as guest ministers, just for refuge. They can only be forced by Gongsun Du's harsh punishments. They are dissatisfied, but they dare not openly confront him.
After all, there is a lesson learned from the past. Li Min, a famous scholar in Liaodong, was at odds with Gongsun Du and once looked down on him. "Therefore, the governor of Hanoi, a well-known person in the county, committed an evil act and, fearing that he would be harmed, had his family members thrown into the sea. Du was so angry that he dug up his father's grave.
, cut open the coffin and burn the body, and kill his clan."
If you offend Gongsun Du, your whole family will really be killed, so these celebrities had to hold their noses and submit.
These people lowered their heads, looking reluctant, and seemed not to hear what was said in the hall.
Gongsun Du didn't care about them. He forced these celebrities to stay in Liaodong. On the surface, he acted like a courteous and virtuous corporal, just to put money on his face and gain fame. As for whether these celebrities would really give him advice.
, he doesn’t care.
He said to Gongsun Kang: "Although the Qingzhou pirates have been pacified, the Gongsun family has lost face this time."
"I heard that in this naval battle, the Gongsun family's warship not only failed to make any achievements, but was also beaten by the Qingzhou pirates and fled in disgrace. It was a complete embarrassment!"
"On the contrary, the fierce tiger fought vigorously. Compared with these two, who in Youzhou is willing to take refuge in my Gongsun family? I am afraid that everyone will go to him in the future!"
Liang Mao and Guan Ning in the hall were startled. They looked at each other and then lowered their heads. The speaker had no intention of speaking, but the listener had intentions. A few of them had actually considered escaping to Jicheng.
Gongsun Kang smiled bitterly and said: "I've heard about it too. This battle shows that our Gongsun family's navy still has many problems. The commander of the navy who led the army this time was also beheaded according to my father's order to serve as a warning to others."
Gongsun Du's anger subsided a little, "Now is a critical period for the expansion of our Gongsun family, and we must not make any mistakes."
"Now that I have the support of Fierce Tiger, I have decided to establish myself as the Marquis of Liaodong and the Mu of Pingzhou first!"
When the scholars in the hall heard this, they thought that this was too unscrupulous. They had to go to the emperor first to ask for a memorial. But now Gongsun Du wanted to kill first and then memorialize, which was simply disrespecting etiquette.
And what is this Liaodong Hou Pingzhou Mu, who calls himself a county prince? This name is named after a county, so I am afraid he is not a county prince. The Han Dynasty has this kind of title?
And Pingzhou Mu is even more ridiculous. The Han Dynasty has thirteen states, and you have created a state on the territory of Youzhou. It is really unheard of!
Guan Ning and others secretly shook their heads. Gongsun Du was not of a good background, and he always violated the Han system in his work. Didn't he care about the world's criticism?
But judging from his fearless look, he might really not care!
Thinking of this, all the scholars kept silent, lest they offend Gongsun Du and kill the whole family.
The scholars slandered, but the people of the Gongsun family were very happy. The Gongsun family suffered both losses and prosperity. If Gongsun Du wanted to be independent, the children of the Gongsun family would naturally follow the chickens and dogs to heaven.
Moreover, the sky in Liaodong was high and the emperor was far away, so no one could suppress the Gongsun family. Gongsun proclaimed himself a marquis and the governor of the state, which was to build momentum for self-reliance. It would not be impossible to establish a country in the future!
Gongsun Kang cupped his hands and said, "Now that Gongsun and Yuan have joined forces, do we need to inform him in advance?"
"After all, Liaodong is still part of Youzhou. If we divide it into two halves, I'm afraid the Yuan family will also be dissatisfied."
Gongsun Du was a little unhappy and snorted, "What can he do to me? It's just taking advantage of each other."
"Since you care about face, then you can write a letter to him for me."
Gongsun Kang agreed and said hesitantly: "If there are no benefits, then I'm afraid the fierce tiger will be."
Gongsun Du sneered: "Does he still dare to attack me?"
"Forget it, doesn't he want to set up ports in Lelang and Daifang counties?"
"I have created a few places for him, but I don't care whether he has the ability to build it and whether he can deal with the harassment from Ma Han."
Gongsun Kang was a little worried after hearing this. Gongsun Du was too cruel in his actions, but that fierce tiger was not a generous person. If he offended him, he would definitely cause trouble for the Gongsun family in the future!
Just like this naval battle, in revenge for the massacre of his merchant ship, the ferocious tiger actually killed all the Qingzhou pirates!
The Qingzhou pirates robbed passing merchant ships and even landed near Liaodong to rob. They were so notorious that they made people panic. Many people were forced to move inland. However, such a ferocious pirate was all beheaded by the fierce tiger.
, and even built a Jingguan on the ship!
It is said that after this incident spread, in Qingzhou, Liaodong, mentioning the name of the ferocious tiger became a weapon used by women to teach naughty children at home, scaring them into crying at night.
Gongsun Du always speaks the truth, but now he wants to proclaim himself. Everyone in the hall knows that this is not a call for them to discuss, it is just a formality, so they will not jump out to object without the foresight, and praise Gongsun one after another.
Have a great heart.
After the matter was settled, everyone left one after another. After Liang Mao, Guan Ning and Bing Yuan came out, they winked at each other and went to Guan Ning's house to discuss the matter together.
The three of them sat down, and Guan Ning sighed: "Although we avoided disaster in Liaodong, we avoided the disaster of the Yellow Turban, but now it seems that under Gongsun Du, it is not a good thing."
Bing Yuan nodded and said: "It is true that Ziyu (Hua Xin) is already the governor of Yuzhang, but we have accomplished nothing and have wasted our time so far."
Guan Ning snorted coldly: "It is a shame for us to be compared with that man!"
In this life, the three people are collectively called one dragon, Hua Xin's head, Bingyuan's belly, and Guan Ning's tail, but Guan Ning looked down on Hua Xin very much.
Because Hua Xin was very keen on fame, when Guan Ning met him, they planted garden vegetables together and hoeed the ground to see gold. Ning swung the hoe and ignored Xin, picked it up, looked at it, and then threw it down.
Another day, Ning and Xin were sitting together reading a book. When they heard the sound of shouting outside, a distinguished person passed by on the pavilion.
, no longer be friends with him.
Bing Yuan smiled bitterly and said: "That's what I say, but the world is dirty. Although we can protect our reputation, we can't protect our lives."
The three of them were silent, and Liang Mao suddenly spoke up: "It's hard to go back to Qingzhou. Yuan Tan is very tyrannical, and Gongsun Du is no match for him."
"How about we go and join the fierce tiger?"
Bing Yuan was shocked, "Wouldn't it be even more ferocious when the ferocious tiger acts?"
"In the past few months, he first defeated the Xianbei outside the pass, then killed the Qingzhou pirates, and built his head as a palace. He doesn't look like a nobleman, but like a general in Bingliang!"
Liang Mao said indifferently: "These people deserve to be killed, what's wrong with them?"
Bing Yuan hesitated and said: "But he also killed nobles before, hanging on top of the city. In my opinion, he should hate celebrities like us."
Liang Mao sighed: "But do we have any good options?"
"I, the Lelang Prefect of the Han Dynasty, am in vain under Gongsun Du. How can I go on like this?"
"I heard that the fierce tiger is highly appreciated by the emperor. If I want to serve the Han court, he is the only one who can give me the words."
Bing Yuan still wanted to speak out, but Guan Ning took out a tube of bamboo slips, handed it to Bing Yuan and said, "Gen Ju, take a look."
Bing Yuan took it in confusion and found that it was about Tianxia Confucianism. From a standing perspective, the point of view was a bit different, but when he thought about it carefully, every word was exquisite and had never been published before. It was really a rare masterpiece.
He opened another article and found that it was about a remote theory that the three of them had argued about before. However, this article cited scriptures and provided evidence, which made it very convincing. Bing Yuan thought that even if he wrote it himself, it would be difficult for him to do so.
Write it out.
He wondered: "This is?"
Guan Ning said in a deep voice: "This is what the professors give to the students in Jicheng Free School!"
"No matter whether you are a scholar, a poor family, or a commoner, you can learn from it!"
"What!" Bing Yuan was shocked, "What does Fierce Tiger want to do?"
"If this continues, won't our knowledge become a joke?"
Guan Ning said solemnly: "So I want to go to Jicheng Free School to visit."
"The world is changing. If we remain complacent and cling to our old ways, we may be left far behind."
When Gongsun Du's letter was delivered to Yuan Xi, he was lying on the couch in the study, resting on Cai Zhaoji's knees, enjoying a massage.
Feeling Cai Zhaoji's slender hands gently pressing on her temples, Yuan Xi smiled and said: "It is a life well spent to be able to be famous as a lady in Youzhou and serve her."
He handed the bamboo slip in his hand to Cai Zhaoji, "Look at Gongsun Du's letter."
Cai Zhaoji stopped, took the bamboo slip, glanced at it, and said, "Gongsun Du is so courageous."