"A benevolent person keeps his way and does not seek benefits; he who cultivates his principles does not rush to achieve results." [Spring and Autumn Fanlu to the King of Jiaoxi]
At the end of the year, Yuan Shao braved the severe cold and finally had to retreat back to the Bohai Sea. At this time, although Gongsun Zan was still entrenched in Yijing, he was heavily besieged by Yan Rou and other Hu soldiers left behind by Yuan Shao. Most of the land in Youzhou fell.
The case of the eldest son Yuan Tan entering into the hands of Yuan Shao was earlier. This time Yuan Shao appointed his second son Yuan Xi to lead Zhang and other troops to stay in Youzhou.
As Yuan Shao's underappreciated second son, he led an army for the first time and was repulsed by Zhang Liao in Hanoi. He had no talent, but Yuan Shao repeatedly praised him after he led the army, saying that he could "retreat calmly and has the style of a good general".
Not only did he defy all opinions and entrust the newly acquired Youzhou to him as the governor of Youzhou, he also engaged him to marry the daughter of the Zhen family in Zhongshan. The former is easier to say. Yuan Shao gave Yuan Xi the same treatment as Yuan Tan did when he entered Qingzhou.
He was equipped with enough good generals and counselors to help him establish himself in Youzhou, but the latter did not go as smoothly as expected.
"Zhen Yan's tone is not small. I, the son of the Yuan family, am not worthy of his daughter of the Zhen family?" Yuan Shao sat in the east hall and ordered angrily: "Immediately send people to Quliang. First, take the seal ribbon of the leader of Quliang.
Take him to jail!"
Now Yuan Shao is no longer the Jizhou Mu officially worshiped by the imperial court. Although the imperial court has not dispatched a new Jizhou Mu since the last Jizhou Mu Zhang Yang was killed by his subordinates in a mutiny, Yuan Shao still controls the seal and ribbon of Jizhou Mu. But this is the end of the matter.
After all, some of his names are not justified, but it is okay when his strength is still there. As long as Yuan Shao continues to win through foreign wars, the powerful people around him will still follow him.
But once Yuan Shao declined a little and began to seem to be in opposition to the imperial court, people's hearts began to become subtle, and the powerful people no longer supported it as fully as they did at first. Yuan Shao was aware of this change, so he took precautions and planned to
Clean up and gather the hearts of the people inside.
Yuan Shao adopted two methods, one soft and one hard. After dispatching his two sons to Qingzhou and Youzhou to garrison soldiers and horses, he continued to send ruthless officials to expropriate wealthy families and collect examination fees on the pretext of preparing food and grass. However, he was defeated by Yuan Shao.
The targets chosen for exploitation were all well-known and unruly powerful celebrities in the state, such as Gao Yan, the former governor of Shanggu, Yao Gong, the prime minister of Ganling, and others. Their families were ruined because they were pressed for money and grain by Yuan Shao and did not have enough.
His death and ruthless style really deterred most of the wavering tycoons in Jizhou. After all, the imperial court had not yet sent out troops. Under Yuan Shao's heavy troops, these relatively weak small tycoons were no match for Yuan Shao.
Rather than being the target of public criticism, it would be better to hide and endure. Yuan Shao knew that his move would inevitably cause dissatisfaction, but he had no choice but to use it. After establishing his power with an iron fist, Yuan Shao immediately used a soft-hearted strategy to win over the Zhen family by marrying him.
, the first step to show goodwill.
The Zhen family in Zhongshan has been the leading family in Hebei since Emperor Xiaoping. Their ancestor Zhen Hand was an official in Taibao, and his descendants were officials for two thousand years. In terms of heritage alone, few surnames in Hebei can compete with it. Although the previous generation
The family member Zhen Yi died young when he stopped at Shangcai Ling, leaving only the weak in the family. However, the Zhen family's two hundred years of marriage, family inheritance of Confucianism, and property and property have still allowed it to stand in Hebei, making people dare not underestimate it.
watch for.
Chen Yi hurriedly said in shock: "No! Ming Gong, the Zhen family is different from others. She has married old officials all over Hebei. Although Zhen Yan is a pedantic person, she is diligent and studious and has never made any mistakes. If she is punished for not teaching now, Jizhou's powerful people will surely catch up with others.
If people are uneasy, how can such a wise man calm people's hearts?"
"According to what you said, not only can I not express my anger, but I also have to comfort him with gentle words?" Yuan Shao frowned, but the anger in his brows disappeared.
Chen Yi carefully considered: "Ming Gong is now famous in Hebei, Xiaoxiao is hiding, and all the sages bow their heads. Although the Zhen family is prosperous, it is only limited to Hebei, how can it compare with the Yuan family in Runan? How dare to offend Ming Gong?
"In my opinion, either they are unwise or they have other ideas about seeking marriage."
"What do you think?" Yuan Shao was stunned and blurted out: "Could it be that they don't want to show off?"
Chen Yi did not answer in a hurry, but raised his head and looked at Yuan Shao.
Yuan Shao seemed to have had his thoughts revealed, and suddenly he stopped talking.
In fact, he chose the Zhen family as his marriage partner, not only for the sake of tenderness, but also because of the intricate relationship behind the Zhen family in Zhongshan. The Zhen family's daughter was as important to the Yuan family as Guo Shengtong was to Emperor Guangwu. As long as the Zhen family was
The representatives of a group of Jizhou tycoons were tied to him, so Yuan Shao no longer had to worry about his power in Jizhou. However, in addition to the calculation, Yuan Shao also had an extra thought in view of the story. He asked for Zhen's daughter, not for the sake of it.
Yuan Tan, the eldest son in the patriarchal clan, did not do it for his favorite youngest son Yuan Shang, but for the second son Yuan Xi who was sandwiched in the middle and was in an awkward position.
Yuan Xi has a meek temperament and has not been valued since he was a child. Yuan Shao betrothed Zhen's daughter to him, which can not only prevent him from being constrained by others in the future, but also maximize the use value of Zhen.
But this thought is not difficult to see. Chen Yi suddenly sighed in his heart and said: "Please be wise and wise. In extraordinary times, you should be more decisive."
Unexpectedly, Yuan Shao just snorted coldly and said: "Sell it at a price." Without waiting for Chen Yi's reaction, he then decided with what he thought was the right idea: "I heard that Zhen Yi left behind three sons and five daughters. The eldest son Zhen
Yu died early, and his second son, Zhen Yan, was in charge of the family, while his third son, Zhen Yao, was still at home serving his mother. I hope that Zhen will have a good reputation for a long time, and that Zhen Yao was a kindhearted person who loved learning and was a good man. Since I am the shepherd of Jizhou, I have promoted talented people and advocated
It is the responsibility of fashion. Now I commend him as filial piety and honesty, and I will recommend him in the coming year."
"This..." Although recommending Zhen Yao as Xiaolian is a way for Yuan Shao to win over the Zhen family, it is not as good as marriage. Chen Yi knows that Yuan Tan already has a family background, Yuan Shang is still young, and he is
Yuan Shao's pet peeve naturally needs to be more attentive. But why do he hesitate on this crucial matter because of his children's private matters?
Chen Yi is now planning for Yuan Shao. He was about to open his mouth to persuade Yuan Shao to change his mind, but he saw Yuan Shao suddenly stood up, waved his long sleeves, and said decisively: "Xianfu is still young, and his second brother is not married. In this world,
Is there any reason why the younger brother should marry the older brother first? I heard that the Zhen family’s daughters are still young, so we have to arrange a marriage for the time being, and we will talk about it later.”
As long as the marriage is arranged, it can be regarded as establishing a connection between the Zhen family and the Yuan family. With Yuan Shao's entangled and hesitant personality, this is undoubtedly the biggest compromise.
Chen Yi sighed silently and said nothing more. He suddenly thought in his heart that if it is difficult now, will they have a future?
Yuan Shao didn't care about anything else at this time. He pointed at the wall next door and said, "What are they saying these days?"
This is the most important thing to ask him at the moment.
Chen Yi did not dare to be negligent, and quickly bowed and said: "Apart from the fear when King Pingyuan first came, he has now settled down. He only drinks and has fun with his maids every day and does not hear about foreign affairs. It's easy to say to him, but he is here
The horse nobleman above him is not easy to talk to."