Chapter 244 Luoyang Victory, Jade Seal Comes to Life, Nanyang Kong Family Abandoned!
Nanyang, Xinye.
Deng family.
With a smile on his face, Deng Tong walked quickly through the corridor and across the courtyard, heading straight to the study: "Master—!"
In the study, Deng Xun put down his silk book and happened to hear Deng Tong's voice. He smiled and said, "This boy is really here."
Look up.
Just then, Deng Tong appeared at the door of the study, with unmistakable joy on his face.
He hurriedly stepped forward, not even bothering to salute, and handed a silk letter to Deng Xun: "Master, please see, this is the letter sent back from Zhi'er, about the great victory in Luoyang, the mysterious appearance of the national jade seal, the broken bridge at the north gate, Your Highness
God helps me.”
"we......"
Deng Tong was so excited that he couldn't control himself: "Our persistence is not wrong!"
From the initial secret support of the adventure, it later became the first family in Nanyang to support King Hongnong's entrepreneurial venture. He even took the initiative to help raise food and grass during the discussion of Dong Dong, and endured a lot of criticism from the Nanyang nobles.
At the most difficult time, even within the Deng family in Nanyang, cracks were about to occur. Many branch families were unwilling to provide food and grass, relying on Deng Xun's old face for support.
Now that things are going well, there is another good news from Luoyang, and the jade seal passed down from the country has mysteriously appeared in the world. The incident of the broken bridge at the north gate has made the image of King Hongnong's divine conferment of imperial power deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
Dong Zhuo will undoubtedly be defeated, and King Hongnong will return to his throne. This is the general trend!
Deng Xun also heaved a sigh of relief and nodded with deep understanding: "Yes, our Deng family has seized the opportunity this time. I heard that Zhi'er was promoted to a school captain due to his military exploits. In the future, His Highness will return to the palace in his rightful place.
Go further.”
Deng Tong was overjoyed, but kept a low profile as much as possible: "It's all thanks to King Hongnong's support. Zhi'er just worked hard on his own. As for the future, it depends on his own abilities."
"kindness."
Deng Xun responded briefly, but his inner thoughts were already flying in all directions.
He thought for a moment and felt that the time had come: "My dear nephew."
Deng Tongtong bowed: "Master, do you have any instructions?"
"You take Zhi'er's family letters and go to each branch in person in my name. There is no need to talk about food and grass. They must be aware of it."
"Don't worry, head of the family, just leave this matter to my nephew."
"besides......"
Deng Xun pinched the white beard under his chin and his eyes shone brightly: "Luoyang has become a ruin. In the future, it will be the frontline battlefield of Dong Zhuo and His Highness. In all likelihood, His Highness will return to Nanyang to establish a new court, and there will definitely be a shortage of officials by then."
"As you go around the houses this time, you should pay close attention to the talents of the Deng family. Anyone who has some knowledge should be recorded in Eucalyptus. Especially the younger generation, such as Zhi'er, should be highlighted."
Speaking of this, Deng Xun's scheming attitude was fully revealed: "My Deng family will definitely have a place in the Nanyang court. We have spent hundreds of thousands of stones and grains, and it is time to see the rewards."
Deng Tong bowed his head and said: "Master, don't worry, just leave it to my nephew."
Deng Xun nodded: "Oh, by the way, tell Deng Hui and let him take his daughter back. Kong Ben is short-sighted and extremely arrogant. Our Deng family must not be affected by it."
After hundreds of years of development, the Deng family in Nanyang has become so large that even Mr. Deng Xun has difficulty remembering it all. If it weren't for Kong Ben's incident, he wouldn't even know that a member of his family would marry his daughter to a merchant.
snort!
It's simply embarrassing.
If it was okay in normal times, what is the situation now?
King Hongnong pointed his finger at the Kong family in Wancheng. In this case, Kong Ben's wife was from the Deng family and was simply causing trouble for Deng Xun. He would not ruin the good life of the Deng family just because of Deng Hui.
prospect.
Old man Deng Xun has a very strategic vision. He ordered Deng Hui to take back his daughter, which meant drawing a clear line with the Kong family. This was to show King Hongnong's attitude that he would not restrict King Hongnong's next actions just because of his merits.
.
Deng Tong naturally understood what Deng Xun meant: "Don't worry, head of the family, I will leave this matter to my nephew."
Deng Xun nodded: "Well, go and do it quickly. It must be done before King Hongnong returns to Nanyang."
Deng Tong raised his hand and said, "Here."
*****
Xinye, Yin family.
Yin Xiu has not made any move since he returned to Xinye.
Although there were still many tribesmen and even those who came here to visit during this period, he still felt calm.
It's not that he has no ideas, it's just that his meeting with King Hongnong that day made him feel even more desperate.
Although King Hongnong is not very old, he has experienced too many things and has tempered him into a true king. King Hongnong will never want an old-school courtier like him.
In this case...
Yin Xiu is already ready to spend his old age peacefully.
However, he never expected that just today, the head of the Yin family would take the initiative to invite him to visit the house.
Yin Xiu naturally knew that the war in Luoyang must have made great progress, otherwise how could the family leader think of him?
The ancestral home of the Yin family.
lobby.
An old man with white hair and beard sat upright, holding his beard in his hand, and gave Yin Xiu a faint smile: "Young Master Yin has been back in Xinye for so long, and I haven't been able to visit him. It's really rude, I hope you can forgive me.
"
This person is the eldest member of the Yin family.
He is a direct descendant of Yin Lihua's younger brother Yin Xing.
Yinlu.
"How dare you!"
Yin Xiu hurriedly nodded and bowed, his attitude was extremely respectful: "My nephew is rude. You are the elder of the Yin family. It is my nephew who takes the initiative to visit you. How dare you trouble the head of the family?"
"Originally, my nephew thought that after a period of time, when he was completely settled, he would come to visit the head of the family so as not to cause trouble to the head of the house. However, he never thought that letting the head of the house take the initiative to invite him was actually Xiu's sin."
Yin Lu sipped the tea, and at the same time waved his hand to signal Yin Xiu: "Young Master Yin, don't be formal, drink tea, this is your own home."
Yin Xiu hurriedly bowed his head and couldn't help but feel ashamed: "The master of the house should call his nephew by his surname. Now the nephew is no longer the young master. Besides, how dare the nephew pretend to be the elder in front of the master of the house."
"Drink tea, drink tea."
"Thank you, Master."
"..."
The two exchanged simple greetings for a while, and then Yin Xiu gradually relaxed.
At the same time, Yin Lu stopped covering up and went straight to the point: "Zi Yi, do you know the current situation of the battle in Luoyang, King Hongnong's defeat of Lu Bu, and Li Jue's affairs?"
(PS: There is a saying in "Book of Rites·Liyun": The cultivation of righteousness is also the storage of rites. Choosing Ziyi as a character is an expectation of Yin Xiu, which conforms to the standard of character selection.)
Yin Xiu nodded: "My nephew has heard a little bit about this matter, but he only knows the result and does not know its auspiciousness."
Yin Lu put down the tea cup and exhaled: "Then did you know that when King Hongnong was fighting fiercely at the north gate of Luoyang, at the critical moment, the Xiamen Bridge collapsed, completely turning the battle situation around, and then the jade seal passed down from the country mysteriously appeared.
?”
"this......"
Yin Xiu slowly shook his head: "My nephew doesn't know."
Yin Lu was not surprised. After all, since Yin Xiu came back from Dagu Pass, he closed his doors and thanked guests, as if he had seen through life and death. How could he know what was happening in the outside world:
"It doesn't matter."
Yin Lu looked worried, and then asked: "Among our Nanyang nobles, only Deng Xun has met King Hongnong several times. The rest have only heard of his name but not seen him."
"If it weren't for the Tang County Governor coming from Kuaiji County to support him, and old man Deng Xun personally guaranteeing it, I would have even doubted whether King Hongnong was a fake."
"Now......"
Yin Lu stared at Yin Xiu with bright eyes: "You are the only one in our Yin family. I have met King Hongnong, and I want to hear your evaluation of King Hongnong."
"Ah, this..."
Yin Xiu was very frightened and frowned: "How dare Xiu speak unreasonably about King Hongnong?"
Yin Lu knew his concerns: "Don't worry, Ziyi, this is in your own home and will not be known to outsiders. What's more, your evaluation of King Hongnong will be directly related to the future and destiny of the Yin family. Please tell us pragmatically.
"
"this......"
Yin Xiu couldn't refuse, so he could only nod: "Well, since the head of the family has spoken, Xiu can only tell the truth."
Yin Lu nodded: "It doesn't matter if you say so."
Yin Xiu thought for a moment, combined with his understanding of King Hongnong, and finally said: "Master, the previous King Hongnong behaved lightly and lacked the demeanor of a king."
"But now..."
Yin Xiu confirmed and affirmed: "King Hongnong has transformed. His eyes are hidden and unfathomable, and his methods are extremely superb and terrifying. The most important thing is that there are a large number of loyal and brave men beside him, who are determined to defeat him. His power is
It’s done.”
"To be honest, my nephew wanted to get close to King Hongnong as a young man, but King Hongnong sternly refused and sent me and other veterans back home."
"My nephew is here to see..."
Yin Xiu took a deep breath, thought carefully, and finally said: "This is not recklessness, nor rudeness, but confidence in his own strength. He does not want to continue the Han Dynasty, but wants to imitate Guangwu and rebuild the Han Dynasty, even better than the Han Dynasty."
Guangwu is more thorough."
hiss-!
A hint of shock flashed across Yin Lu's face: "So, King Hongnong is really ambitious!"
Yin Xiu nodded affirmatively: "The master of the family must not underestimate King Hongnong's methods. His ability to win three battles in Guangcheng, Dagu, and Luoyang is no accident. His methods must be beyond the imagination of the master of the family."
"Don't worry, Ziyi. How can an old man go against the general trend? This is an unwise move."
"In this way, my nephew will feel relieved."
"..."
The two chatted for a long time, and Yin Xiu didn't leave until after lunch.
Yin Lu stood under the corridor, gazing at the distant scenery with his hands behind his back.
a long time.
A man dressed as a servant came over and bowed his head: "Master, according to reliable information, Deng Hui personally came to the door and took his daughter away from the Kong family. According to rumors, the old man personally ordered it."
"oh?"
Yin Lu glanced back at the man, his expression slightly surprised, but it only lasted for a moment, and then returned to normal: "That old guy Deng Xun must have received the information from Deng Zhi, otherwise he would not have been so fast."
"Where's Deng Tong?"
Yin Lu asked tentatively: "What did he do?"
The man bowed his head and said: "In two days, he went to eight families including Deng Hui. Among them, Deng Hui even forcibly took away his daughter today. I think Deng Tong came here on the order of Mr. Deng to provide ventilation to each family in advance.
.”
"Indeed."
Yin Lu nodded with absolute certainty, then took a deep breath and made a decision: "Since the Deng family has taken away their daughter, how can we fall behind?"
"I remember that there was also a daughter from our Yin family in Kong Ben's concubine, right?"
"Well, Yin Qiong's daughter."
"Order him to take his daughter away, otherwise he will bear the consequences."
"Here."
****
Wancheng, Kong family.
Kong Ben personally put his concubine on the carriage and comforted her: "Don't worry, I will take you back sooner or later."
Yin Qiong's daughter burst into tears: "Husband, I will always wait for you."
Kong Ben nodded: "Let's go."
Yin Qiong lowered the car curtain and stepped forward, with a face full of shame: "Xian son-in-law, don't blame your father-in-law. This matter is really the master's order, and there is nothing I can do about it."
"kindness."
Kong Ben just nodded with hatred: "How can Kong not know that the head of the Yin family has good intentions? This is the bitter fruit of Kong himself, and he should swallow it himself."
"Don't worry, father-in-law."
Kong Ben bowed to Yin Qiong and said, "Kong will never bring trouble to the Yin family."
This scene made Yin Qiong embarrassed.
He patted Kong Ben on the shoulder: "My dear son-in-law, hold on. As long as we survive this disaster, we will still be in-laws. Who in this world will not encounter some obstacles? I believe you can get through it."
Kong Ben sighed: "I hope so. If it is really difficult to escape, Lan Mei will be handed over to her father-in-law."
Yin Qiong stared at Kong Ben with bright eyes: "Don't say such depressing words. Although I took my daughter away, I am still your father-in-law. If you encounter difficulties, remember to come find me. Do you understand?"
Kong Ben bowed and held up his hands: "My son-in-law, thank you father-in-law."
Yin Qiong waved her hand: "Go back."
Kong Ben nodded and watched the carriage leave.
Immediately.
He returned to his home.
His legitimate son Kong Li hurriedly came to greet him: "Father, why are you like this?"
Kong Ben glared at his son: "If you don't do this as a father, what can you do? Is it possible that you are breaking up with the major families because of this?"
Kong Li frowned: "What father means is..."
call-
Kong Ben let out a sigh of relief: "The general trend is irreversible. We can only follow the trend. Remember, if you take a step back, there is still room for maneuver. If you don't change your stubbornness, the Kong family will inevitably be doomed."
Now the situation is gradually becoming clearer, Kong Ben is by no means a stupid person, and now forcing the daughter of the Deng family and the Yin family to stay can only force the major aristocratic families to draw a clear line between themselves.
But if the reverse is true, not only does he not stop her, but he even sends his daughter back in person, then it is equivalent to selling his favor to various aristocratic families, so that if he needs it again in the future, he can ask for it.
The Kong family started out as merchants. Although they were very powerful and had a fortune of over 100 million, money was nothing in the face of power. It was just nothing.
Therefore, over the past hundreds of years, the Kong family has been committed to integrating into the Nanyang gentry circle, relying on in-law relationships to establish a strong network of relationships to enable the continuation of the family business.
This network of relationships was enough to give the Kong family the power to compete with the county governor, but facing King Hongnong, who was about to proclaim himself emperor and needed to kill chickens to scare monkeys, the resistance was just a little greater.
Kong Ben really had no choice but to maintain the relationship with the aristocratic family as much as possible, hoping that in this way, he would force King Hongnong to let go of the Kong family.
"I understand."
Kong Li responded, but he was still worried: "But father, we have sent away our mother and daughter-in-law. Will the wealthy families in Nanyang really help us?"
Kong Ben shook his head: "Not necessarily, but if we break up, they will definitely abandon us cruelly. Let's give everyone face first, and then ask for help."
Kong Li nodded slowly and said, "I'm afraid this is the only way."
Kong Ben said softly: "Li'er, in two days, you will rush to Deng's house in person and ask your mother to beg Deng Hui. After all, flesh and blood is a bond of family ties. No matter how heartless Deng Hui is, he cannot cut off this bloodline.
"
"What's more..."
Kong Ben showed a sinister expression and took a deep breath: "We helped the Deng family build a lot of weapons back then, especially during the years of the Yellow Turban rebellion. If it weren't for our Kong family, the Deng family would have been wiped out by the Yellow Turbans."
"This is love, and it's also a handle."
Kong Ben subconsciously clenched his fists and said in a slightly low voice: "If my Kong family cannot escape death, the Deng family will never survive alone. If we die, we will die together!"
Kong Li nodded heavily: "That's right! We will fight them to the death."
*****
Sili.
Outside Mianchi City.
Yuan's allied camp.
"What?"
Yuan Shao looked in disbelief and stared at the soldiers: "You mean... the day after we led the troops to leave, Lu Bu and Li Jue in Luoyang City broke out from the north gate?"
The soldier nodded: "That's right! Moreover, it was Lu Bu who broke through the encirclement in person. In less than a quarter of an hour, he broke through the horse pit formation at the head of the bridge. When the army was crossing the bridge in a steady stream, the bridge deck suddenly collapsed, and the situation was completely reversed."
hiss-!
Yuan Shao's eyes were as wide as bells, and he was shocked: "The bridge deck collapsed?"
The soldier nodded again: "That's right."
"How could a good bridge suddenly collapse?"
"I heard..."
The soldier paused for a moment, and finally said honestly: "King Hongnong only had God's blessing to cause the bridge to collapse."
Yuan Shao didn't take it seriously and responded coldly: "What nonsense! If he could really be blessed by heaven, how could he be dethroned from the throne in the first place?"
"But!"
The soldier's throat rolled, as if he was extremely sure of this: "After the bridge was broken, King Hongnong felt the guidance of God and found the imperial seal in the dry well south of Luoyang City."
"I heard that in the early morning of that day, there were thousands of rays of sunshine and thousands of auspicious colors in the dry well. The school captain Zhang Zhensheng was curious and thought there was a treasure in the well, so he led his people to salvage it. Unexpectedly, what was salvaged was the national jade seal."
"ah?"
Yuan Shao was completely confused, with a look of disbelief on his face: "This...how is this possible?"
The soldier handed over his hand and said: "Alliance leader, this matter has spread throughout Luoyang, and King Hongnong personally led the team to worship the ancestors at Mang Mountain. How could he be like this if he had not obtained the jade seal passed down from the country?
"
"I heard..."
The soldier timidly added: "King Hongnong has the idea of returning to the palace, declaring his legitimacy, and fighting against the Chang'an court. He is currently doing the final work and may leave Luoyang soon."
Boom!
Like a thunderbolt in the clear sky, Yuan Shaolei was stunned in place: "How is this possible? Now that the situation is so good, how can King Hongnong give up attacking Dong Zhuo and establish a new dynasty?"
In Yuan Shao's inherent thinking, King Hongnong will definitely take advantage of the victorious army, fight step by step, and fight steadily until Dong Zhuo is eradicated and completely takes over the court.
In this way, as long as the Grand Duke Yuan Wei, the Imperial Servant Yuan Ji, and the disciples and former officials of the Yuan family in the court are still there, the Yuan family's power will be guaranteed and even stronger than before.
But......
If King Hongnong did not do this, but established a separate court to oppose the Han court in Chang'an, then it would be a different situation.
In the new dynasty of King Hongnong, how can one's own strength be guaranteed?
According to the current situation, Dong Zhuo holds the emperor in Guanzhong. Even if he wants to go to war, he will have to recover for two or three years. They may not be the opponents of King Hongnong.
"Damn it!"
Yuan Shao chewed it secretly.
Every step King Hongnong took exceeded his expectations.
Xu You frowned at the side: "My lord, the situation has become very clear now. King Hongnong does not want to fight steadily, but he does not want to attack Dong Zhuo at all."
"kindness?"
Yuan Shao still wondered: "Zixu, what do you mean?"
Xu You said with great certainty: "The imperial court held hostage by Dong Zhuo is all old officials of the Han Dynasty, with huge power and deep roots. But if King Hongnong establishes a new dynasty, the same official positions will be replaced by completely new people."
"My lord, just imagine."
Xu You took a deep breath and said with great interest: "In such a court, the imperial power can naturally be guaranteed. King Hongnong is so ambitious that it is amazing."
Yuan Shao suddenly understood and nodded slowly: "Yes, it must be like this! Zi Xu, tell me, what should we do next? Do we need to submit to King Hongnong?"
"Lord."
Xu You bowed his head and said: "Even if you want to surrender, King Hongnong may not want to do so. I think that our top priority is to return to Jizhou and there is no need to waste time here."
"The idea of King Hongnong is certainly good, but Dong Zhuo of Chang'an is by no means an easy person. In addition, with Li Ru as his assistant, it will never make things easier for King Hongnong's new dynasty."
"The two sides are bound to have political... political confrontations, and in order to win over allies, they will not hesitate to offer preferential conditions to the Three Dukes, the State Shepherd, and even the title of king."
"snort!"
Xu You snorted softly, as if everything had been broken: "My lord, maybe you will receive conquests from two imperial courts in the future. When the time comes, you will accept whichever offers higher conditions."
"Of course, this is just acceptance. We should focus on increasing our own strength. If the new dynasty wins in the future, we can attach ourselves to the new dynasty. If the old dynasty is strong, we will continue to rely on the old dynasty."
"That makes sense."
Yuan Shao nodded slowly, deeply convinced: "The world situation has changed, and we should change accordingly."
"Report—!"
At this moment, a long announcement sounded outside the tent.
Yuan Shao raised his eyes and looked.
However, I saw a soldier hurriedly enter the tent, with a slightly panicked look on his face. He leaned over and cupped his hands and said, "Alliance leader, General Yuan Shu left Mianchi with his troops and horses."
"kindness?"
Yuan Shao was stunned: "When did this happen?"
The soldier replied: "Just now."
"Do you know where they are going?"
"He said he was going back to Yuzhou."
hiss-!
Yuan Shao gasped: "What a Yuan Shu, he moves really fast."
Xu You said softly: "General Yuan must have noticed this, so he wanted to return to Yuzhou in advance to prepare. After all, Yuzhou borders Nanyang, and they will bear the brunt."
"That makes sense."
Yuan Shao nodded with interest: "In that case, let's leave Mianchi and return to Bohai. Yuan Shu is already the governor of Yuzhou, but I am still the governor of Bohai."
Xu You handed over his hand and said: "My lord, don't be anxious. Han Fu is just a mediocre person, not worth mentioning. With his ability, he can't secure Jizhou. After we go back, we will make a long-term plan and capture Jizhou first, and then achieve great success."
Yuan Shao was ecstatic in his heart: "Okay! This is very good."
After this defeat and other events in Luoyang, the allies had their own thoughts and no longer wanted to challenge Dong.