"You may call them virtuous but not virtuous; you may call them guilty but not innocent; there are traces of them all; the blame must be assigned; so you don't dare to deceive others."
"The former governor of Qingzhou, Jiao He, didn't know much about military strategy. When he encountered thieves, he only prayed to the gods and the elders and shamans to give blessings. When he governed the people, he always liked to talk and ignored secular affairs, which led to the depression of the state and counties and the yellow turbans repeatedly."
Xu said: "Now that Jiao He is dead, Qingzhou is occupied by three parties. One is Zang Hong, the governor of Jizhou, appointed by Yuan Shao, who occupies Pingyuan, Jinan; the other is Tian Kai, the governor of Youzhou, appointed by Sun Zan, who occupies Qi State, Le'an.
; The third is Kong Rong, the prime minister of Beihai appointed by the imperial court. As for the counties of Donglai, it is said that they were invaded by pirates, and the rest of the areas are scattered with yellow turban bandits, and there are countless canal commanders."
"The ones who invaded the counties in Donglai were not pirates, but the soldiers and horses of Gongsun Du, the prefect of Liaodong, who came across the sea by boat." The emperor had some influence on the Gongsun family, a local snake who had been entrenched in Liaodong for decades in the late Han Dynasty, so he casually said
Interjected: "It is said that the counties in Donglai were set up as camp states and privately appointed governors. This should be the fifth force in Qingzhou besides Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shao, the imperial court and the Yellow Turbans."
The situation in Qingzhou that Xun You just mentioned was not analyzed through the narratives of Zhao Qi, Pei Mao and other envoys, or the letters from relatives and friends in Guandong such as Xun Yu. Even so, because Qingzhou Donglai is located at the easternmost end of the peninsula, the roads are cut off, and the roads are cut off.
The war in Shang Dynasty made it difficult for merchants to travel, so that even Xun Yu, who was only in Yanzhou, only knew that Donglai was occupied by a group of powerful pirates, but the specific flag of whose family was unknown.
He didn't expect that this kind of thing would be known to the emperor, and the emperor's tone didn't seem like he was being hypocritical. Xun You couldn't help but be suspicious of this. He suddenly thought of Jia Xu, but he immediately denied the speculation and ordered Ping Zhuncai
How long will it take to establish it? It can spread throughout Guanzhong is the limit. How can we extend our ears and eyes to the distant Qingzhou?
After much deliberation, he couldn't come up with a definite answer, and Xun You couldn't ask directly, so he had to think in his heart: 'Maybe your Majesty has other channels to know about this besides Ping Zhenjian'.
From this, Xun You felt more and more that the emperor's methods were unfathomable. He cupped his hands and said in a sincere tone: "I promise, your Majesty is wise and can see thousands of miles away. I am really ashamed that I don't know about such a big event."
"Qingzhou is the hometown of Qilu and the place where Confucius and Mencius were born. Unexpectedly, it has been devastated by war for a long time and has become a war-torn place." The emperor did not expect that Xun You would have countless thoughts in his mind because of his casual words.
Gu Zi sighed: "What a misfortune for the country."
"However, a foolish minister has a simple opinion. To govern the people, we must first control chaos, and to protect the country, we must first stabilize it." Xun You said: "What Qingzhou needs urgently now is not capable ministers who can deal with troubles, but good generals who can put an end to chaos."
The emperor's eyes lit up: "Who does Mr. Xun think is suitable to guard this place?"
Xun You immediately bowed his head and said, because he thought that hearing this person's name would make the emperor unhappy. After all, this person had a close relationship with Wang Yun: "General Wei Lu Bu."
As expected, the emperor's expression changed. He originally thought that Xun You would propose someone like Cao Cao or Liu Bei.
Although he doesn't know if Cao Cao still has the ambition to be a 'General of the Conquest of the West', he is sure that the other party currently does not have the ambition to be an 'Emperor of Wei Wu'. At present, the other party is in a period of swing between loyal ministers and traitors. If he can win over him in advance, it is impossible to say
There will be one less powerful enemy and one more capable minister.
Not to mention Liu Bei, his current strength cannot breed his ambition at all. As long as the court throws out an olive branch and gives him a legitimate territory, he will not refuse to take it.
Therefore, the emperor's initial plan was to use Cao Cao and Liu Bei, two historical heroes, to check and balance the two Yuan Dynasties and make Liu Bei the governor of Qingzhou. However, he did not expect that Xun You was different from what he thought. How could this happen?
"How could it be Lu Bu?"
Xun You saw the change in the emperor's face keenly, but since he said it, he obviously had a different idea: "Lü Bu is strong and good at fighting, brave and resourceful. He is the right choice for the moment. If your majesty is in power and left to his own devices, he will surely be able to represent the imperial court."
Determine the situation in Qingzhou."
"Martial courage?" The emperor sneered while thinking about the feasibility of this matter: "When Li Jue and Guo Si rebelled with their troops, he led his troops to fight with them in Xinfeng, but they fled. Forget it.
In the end, he didn't even return to Chang'an, and went directly to join Yuan Shu. Such a person who is greedy for life and afraid of death..."
The emperor suddenly paused and said no more.
Letting Lu Bu go to Qingzhou is indeed the best candidate to serve as a troublemaker, but Lu Bu's identity is too sensitive. Not only did he have a close relationship with Wang Yun and work for his disciples, but he also abandoned the emperor's safety in times of crisis.
, the bad deed of fleeing without permission.
For such a failed criminal and a core member of Wang Yun's party who has not been liquidated, the imperial court will not investigate him, but will still appoint him? If there is no good reason, I am afraid that Ma Ma, who came to power by deposing Wang Yun,
Rihui, Yang and others would not be happy to accept it, and it might also be interpreted as a political signal released by the emperor, which would instead produce other changes within the court...
Xun You made it clear, and immediately answered: "I think that although Lu Bu has many bad things, as long as he is appointed properly, he may not be unable to help the court. For example, this time Pei Mao and others were trapped in Yecheng, and all parties supported Lu Bu.
At that time, I was at Zhang Yang's place in Hanoi, and I also expressed my position with Zhang Yang. During this period, I personally led thousands of troops to escort Zhong Ji to Chaoge. This at least shows that he is still diligent in the king's affairs."
The emperor raised his head slightly and said loudly: "Inviting envoys to welcome envoys is the general trend. He had to do this in order to make up for his mistakes. As for how much of it is out of loyalty, it is not yet known."
Xun You's eyes flashed, he bit his lip, lowered his head and said, "Wei."
The emperor thought about smiling, but suddenly changed the topic and said: "But Zhang Yang, Geng Zhi, Zhao Weisun and others have all contributed to this matter and made meritorious services. Naturally, the court will reward them according to their merits. Since Lu Bu is also involved in this matter,
The merits and demerits are equal to each other. As for promoting him to Qingzhou, what position does Mr. Xun think he should be given?"
Xun You didn't feel the pressure at all, and mused from the side: "I heard that the Yellow Turbans are particularly rampant in Beihai State. Although the Prime Minister Kong Rong has a political reputation, he has no military knowledge and has been repeatedly defeated by the Yellow Turbans. For this reason, the imperial court may wish to transfer him to the court.
He was conferred an official position and made Lu Bu the Prime Minister of Beihai."
"Okay." The emperor had been sitting for a long time and moved a little on the table. Now he seemed to have understood Xun You's position. Even though the other party was conquered by Ma Rixi, he was still fundamentally related to the Guandong scholars.
People come closer.
The prestigious Kong was recruited into the court, Wang Yun's old subordinate Lu Bu was given important tasks, and even the group of people who entered the court with Zhao Qi and others...
The emperor could suddenly understand why the Kansai scholars headed by Ma Rixi had been so close to a powerful enemy recently and felt a sense of crisis...