In August of the third year of Jian'an, when Guanzhong was ushering in the autumn harvest, Zhou Zhong's mission also bore fruitful fruits.
Liu Biao and Liu Yao successively submitted petitions to officially recognize Zhengshuo of the imperial court.
They were originally officials appointed by the imperial court, but they had severed contact with the imperial court. Now, with Zhou Zhong's efforts, they have restored contact, which is a matter of course. Even if they have slight mistakes, they are still flaws.
And Yuan Shao's above table seems to be of great significance.
Today, there are only two factions left in the prefectures and counties of Shandong: one group has submitted its vassalage to the imperial court even in name only, and the other group has attached itself to Yuan Shao and refused to submit its tribunal status to the imperial court.
Yuan Shao came forward to negotiate for peace, which meant that the separation of states and counties was likely to be broken, and the opportunity for peace in the world was at hand.
After more than ten years of chaos in the world, no one can resist such temptation.
Neither could Liu Xie, otherwise he would be a military tyrant, a Qin Emperor, a Hanwu-style tyrant, or even worse.
After receiving the above form from Yuan Shao, Liu Xie read it over and over several times, sighed for the last time, and issued an edict to convene an extraordinary court meeting to convene the ministers in Guanzhong to discuss affairs.
Whether he wants it or not, he must show enough attention.
Naturally, Han Sui, the general who suppressed the west, Zhao Wen, the situ, and Liu Ba, the chief agricultural officer who had just taken office, were included in the court meeting. Even Yang Biao, the fake Taiwei who was far away in northern Xinjiang, and Zhang Xi, the Sikong Zhang Xi who recruited Yizhou, all came "in a timely manner"
Rushed back.
Regarding this coincidence, they all expressed that it was the will of God, the will of peace in the world, and the resurgence of the Han Dynasty.
Whether it was God's will or not, no one can tell.
But it must be the human heart.
The people's aspirations and expectations formed, and the combined force formed was unstoppable. Even Han Sui, the general who wanted to conquer the West, was unwilling to be the target of public criticism and opposed the peace negotiation.
As soon as the court meeting began, Yang Biao, Zhao Wen, and Zhang Xi all stood up at the same time to congratulate Liu Xie.
Yang Biao was even so excited that he burst into tears.
"It has been fourteen years since the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the first year of Zhongping. The world can finally be at peace. It is a joy to congratulate. Master once said that if anyone can use me, it will only take a few months. I will be successful in three years. Your Majesty is now in charge of the government.
In three years, we can end the troubled times and restore peace, in line with the Master's way."
Before he finished speaking, there was a chorus of echoes.
Some people even directly shouted the slogan "Your Majesty is a saint", which made Liu Xie a little embarrassed.
This flattery is too direct.
But he knew better that instead of flattering him, it was more about setting him up so that he could not refuse Yuan Shao's request for peace.
If you refuse, you are not a saint, but a fool.
It's such a good opportunity, but if you refuse to negotiate for peace, what else do you want to do?
Therefore, the issue of whether to accept the peace was reached before the discussion even started.
The peace proposal must be accepted.
But it was not so easy to reach agreement on how to negotiate a peace, and there were even fierce confrontations from the beginning.
Han Sui first pointed out that Yuan Shao, as the governor of Bohai, used force to seize Jizhou and forced Han Fu, the shepherd of Jizhou appointed by the imperial court, to death. He also led the people of Jizhou south to invade Yanyu and repeatedly refused the imperial conquest. This was undoubtedly a rebellion. Even if he
Now that he has bowed his head and proclaimed his vassalship, he cannot completely erase his past responsibilities. At least he cannot be recognized as the Jizhou Mu and should resume his status as Bohai Prefect.
Before Han Sui finished speaking, someone immediately raised a objection.
Yuan Shao did behave disobediently, but he cannot be entirely blamed for this. At that time, Dong Zhuo first caused chaos in the government, and then Li Jue, Guo Si and others took control of the government. The prefectures and counties raised troops, not against the emperor, but against Dong Zhuo and Li Jue.
,Guo Si et al.
Without waiting for Han Sui to retort, the man opened fire on Han Sui.
Didn't you, Han Sui, also raise troops to attack Guanzhong?
Han Sui lost his temper on the spot and sat back with a pale face.
Liu Xie took a special look at the young man who was very capable in fighting. He had no impression of this person. Judging from his clothes, he looked like a clerk in the Sangong Mansion. He didn't know which government he was in and what his official position was.
Han Sui, the general of Zhenxi, received a blow on the head, and others did not dare to speak easily.
The world has been in chaos for more than ten years. Who dares to say that he has no responsibility at all? Since everyone’s butts are dirty, why not turn a blind eye, close one eye, and focus on the overall situation?
Although no one says this, it has become a consensus.
In order to avoid unnecessary arguments, Liu Xie directly raised the most critical question: under what conditions is it appropriate to accept Yuan Shao's surrender?
After a moment of silence, Yang Biao stood up. "I think that we should appoint Yuan Shao as the shepherd of Jizhou and let him lead his troops back to Jizhou to appease the people. After the people are settled, it is appropriate to recruit him to the court."
Liu Xie was noncommittal.
Someone on the side raised his hand. Liu Xie turned around and saw an acquaintance, it was Yang Fu.
Together with Jiang Xu, Yang Fu led his troops to enter Guanzhong with Liu Xie, and had many contacts along the way. Under the influence of Yang Xiu, and as a Liangzhou native, Yang Fu generally supported the New Deal.
Liu Xie nodded, and Yang Fu stood up, saluted Liu Xie first, and then saluted Yang Biao, stating his name, place of origin, and official position.
"I dare to ask Taiwei, how long will it take for Yuan Shao to stabilize Jizhou? If he continues to be unable to stabilize Jizhou, should the court remove him, or recruit him back to the court in advance? If Yuan Shao refuses to join the court, what will the court do?"
Yang Biao paid his respects to Liu Xie again. "Your Majesty, what Yang Fu said is reasonable, but it is urgent to follow the authority and not to push. I think it can be given for three years. The time is too short, and the appeasement will not be effective. If the time is too long, it will easily cause problems.
, Raising tigers will bring disaster.”
Before Liu Xie could say anything, Yang Fu asked again: "What if three years later, Yuan Shao changes his mind and refuses to enter the court?"
Yang Biao looked back at Yang Fu, somewhat unhappy. "In three years, if Yuan Shao refuses to enter the court, I will take the blame and hold a halberd and shield to challenge Yuan Shao."
Just as Yang Fugang was about to speak, Sikong Zhang Xi stood up. "Your Majesty, I second the proposal. If Yuan Shao refuses to enter the court in three years, I am willing to join the army with the Taiwei and die in front of the battle."
Liu Xie smiled. "It's rare that Sikong is so brave."
Zhang Xi's old face turned red. "Although I am old, I will not hesitate to die for the livelihood of the people of the world. Your Majesty, when I set out from Yizhou, the Yizhou Shepherd Liu Zhang and the Yizhou heroes heard that Yuan Shao had asked to surrender. They were all excited and looked forward to it.
.If Your Majesty can pardon Yuan Shao, Yizhou will follow."
Liu Xie stared at Zhang Xi for a while, then swallowed back the words that came to his mouth.
After entering Guanzhong, he took an opportunity to ask Situ Zhao Wen and confirmed that it was Zhang Xi who recommended Liu Yao as the governor of Yangzhou.
There is no doubt that Zhang Xi recommended Liu Yao as the governor of Yangzhou not for the sake of the court, but for Yuan Shao.
Yuan Shao's second wife was a member of Liu Yao's tribe, and Liu Yao's brother Liu Dai was Yuan Shao's best friend. When Yuan Shao fled Luoyang and went north to the Bohai Sea, he once entrusted his family to Liu Dai.
He wanted to question Zhang Xi, but now was not the right time.
Liu Yao also conditionally submitted himself to the imperial court. Pursuing Zhang Xi's responsibility will inevitably involve Liu Yao.
More importantly, he also wanted to take this opportunity to take Yizhou back without any bloodshed.
With Jingzhou and Yizhou in hand, the court's problem of money and food shortages will be greatly alleviated, and it will be more confident to speak.
A real man doesn't live up to his expectations for the moment and settles the scores slowly in the future.
Anyway, with Zhang Xi's temper, it is impossible to retreat bravely.