Chapter 326 Tang Mao: I don't care, you must be pregnant with a dragon seed next year!
Although Liu Bian had already expected that Zhang Chao and Zang Hong were victims who did not know the truth, he could not believe that they were so naive.
Liu Bian did not directly answer Zhang Chao and Zang Hong's questions, but paused for a moment before giving an answer that was as credible as possible:
"When I was in Mang Mountain, Dong Zhuo came to rescue me. The troops he led were indeed not small, but they definitely did not exceed 5,000 cavalry. When he was stationed in Xianyang Garden, it was reported that there were only 5,000 troops.
"
Five thousand?
Zhang Chao and Zang Hong were obviously shocked.
Such a force obviously has no deterrent effect.
What's even more terrible is that Liu Bian immediately added: "After General He Jin died in the battle, almost all the troops and horses of the Eighth School Lieutenants of Xiyuan were concentrated in the hands of Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao. This part of the army alone numbered tens of thousands.
, and they are all elite soldiers."
"Later, Bao Xin, Zhang Liao, Hu Muban and others recruited soldiers and horses and returned. They also communicated with Yuan Shao, hoping that he could lead the troops to kill the tyrant Dong and stabilize Luoyang."
"If you don't believe it..."
Liu Bian turned his head and glanced at Zhang Chao and Zang Hong with an extremely depressed look on his face: "I can recall Bao Xin and let him tell you personally about the specific situation when he was in Luoyang."
"Bao Xin?"
Zhang Chao and Zang Hong naturally knew something about him.
After all, they were originally allied princes on the Yanjin side.
At that time, Bao Xin showed his extreme dissatisfaction with Yuan Shao. He would rather put his treasure on the unknown Cao Cao than refuse to believe in Yuan Shao, the famous leader of the alliance.
Before, they didn't quite understand that there was a huge difference in status between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao. It was obvious that this was a question, but Bao Xin could still choose the wrong one?
But looking at it now, the other party obviously had his own reasons for making such a decision. From the perspective of the entire discussion process, Bao Xin's choice can be said to be extremely correct.
"That's right!"
Liu Bian nodded affirmatively and said loudly: "Today, he is still with Meng De. The previous decisive battle with Zhang Miao and Yuan Shu was done by Bao Xin and Cao Cao."
"The reason why he hates Yuan Shao is precisely because Yuan Shao did not listen to his opinions. Instead, after losing military power to Dong Zhuo, he fled Luoyang, recruited troops, and rebelled against Dong again."
"snort!"
At this point, Liu Bian let out a disdainful snort and slowly shook his head: "In Luoyang City at that time, with the troops that the Yuan family could control, plus the troops and horses of Jinwu Dingyuan, it was easy to eliminate Dong Zhuo."
"But who would have thought that a series of strange operations by the Yuan family would lead to the development of things to this extent, and that the princes of Guandong who did not know the truth would actually elect Yuan Shao as the leader of the alliance."
"ridiculous!"
"sad!"
"Sigh!"
These three consecutive blows immediately transferred the resentment and anger in Liu Bian's heart to Zhang Chao and Zang Hong. At this moment, their beliefs had been shaken by Liu Bian's reasons. To suddenly break into such thoughts was indeed a serious matter.
Punch out.
From the hesitant expressions on the two men's faces, Liu Bian could clearly feel the shame of being deceived, which was enough to prove that they had already doubted Yuan Shao.
Taking this opportunity, Liu Bian added fuel to the fire, which was bound to completely arouse his hidden suspicion: "Do you know who first proposed this ridiculous idea of summoning generals from all directions to Beijing?"
Zhang Chao frowned: "Isn't it General He Jin?"
Liu Bian smiled: "Yes, the world would only call General He Jin a fool, but how could they imagine that it was his aide Yuan Shao who gave him this opinion."
"ah?"
Zhang Chao and Zang Hong were completely stunned: "This...how is this possible?"
Zang Hong looked even more disbelieving: "It was Yuan Shao who initiated the idea of summoning all the powerful generals from all over the country to the capital?"
Liu Bian was stunned and nodded slowly: "If you don't believe it, I can summon Cao Cao to the palace. Back then, he, Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shu were all staff members of the General's Mansion, and they knew everything about this matter."
Bao Xin and Cao Cao are the biggest witnesses. As long as they are exposed, Yuan Shao's stain on summoning all the generals from all directions to Beijing and his policy of non-resistance will never be washed away.
really!
Liu Bian gave two consecutive witnesses, directly exposing the crimes committed by Yuan Shao, which immediately confused Zhang Chao and Zang Hong.
The two of them were on pins and needles, like thorns in the quilt, and like a lump in their throats. The feeling of being deceived became stronger and stronger.
As a man with tens of thousands of elite soldiers, Yuan Shao actually just confronted Dong Zhuo and escaped from Luoyang to Bohai. In the end, he was promoted to the governor of Bohai.
"this......"
Although Zhang Chao and Zang Hong have a somewhat second-rate air, they are not stupid, otherwise they would not have been able to sabotage Guo Jia's round-up plan twice. Although most of the reasons are due to the lack of manpower in the school affairs office, they can find a breakthrough point.
, which shows the abilities of the two of them.
Apparently!
At this time, Zhang Chao and Zang Hong were completely disappointed with Yuan Shao.
But Liu Bian also understood that it would be unrealistic to contact Yuan Wei and Yuan Ji.
In a sense, Yuan Shao's position in the Yuan family is very embarrassing. As the brother of a concubine, no matter how virtuous he is, he can only be the one who is sacrificed.
Liu Bian continued to pierce his heart with a soft knife, gradually deepening: "Actually, I have also been unable to figure out why the fourth and third princes of the Yuan family would condone a traitor like Dong Zhuo and bring trouble to the court."
"Once upon a time, in my heart, the Yuan family of the Four Generations and Three Dukes were loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty. They were people I could absolutely trust. In times of crisis, they were people who were willing to put a knife in my side."
"But now..."
Liu Bian's eyes suddenly became sinister, and he said coldly: "Only since I returned to the palace have I truly understood what the ultimate purpose of the Yuan family's inaction is."
Zhang Chao and Zang Hong were stunned, and subconsciously asked: "What is it?"
Liu Bian's eyes were bright, and his domineering aura was stirring: "Because, the Yuan family wants to become truly powerful, and even go one step further and replace them."
"No!"
Zhang Chao denied it without hesitation: "Impossible, this is absolutely impossible. It is absolutely impossible for Mr. Yuan to do such a thing. He is a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. He has been like this from beginning to end."
Zang Hong, who was on the sidelines, was also in disbelief, but he was wiser than Zhang Chao: "Your Majesty is wrong. If Mr. Yuan wants to dominate the government and kill Dong Zhuo, he can do it, so why should he condone Dong Zhuo?"
"After all, all the relatives and eunuchs have died, and only the treacherous ministers are left in power. Those who have been eliminated are the meritorious ministers. With the momentum of Duke Yuan in the temple, he can naturally dominate the government, so why bother?"
"That's right."
Zhang Chao immediately agreed: "What Mr. Yuan is doing is purely unnecessary."
Liu Bian glanced at the two of them and felt that it was extremely ridiculous: "On the surface, it is true, but if I have a beloved concubine, I have relatives, and with my mother and queen here, I can inherit the inheritance of the He family. How can the Yuan family do whatever they want?"
?”
"But Chenliu Wangxie is different. He doesn't have much background in the court. If I were abolished and Chenliu Wangxie was established instead, it would be very easy to control. This would be the real power of the government."
"certainly!"
Speaking of this, Liu Bian said coldly: "Before Dong Zhuo showed too much cruelty, if the Yuan family killed him, it would definitely arouse the criticism of the people in the world."
"And if after Dong Zhuo has done all his bad things, the Yuan family calls on all the princes in the world to overthrow the emperor and punish Dong Zhuo, it will be equivalent to stealing Dong Zhuo's achievements and making them his own wedding dress."
hiss-!
Zhang Chao and Zang Hong were both stunned and took a deep breath.
They glanced at each other and had to admit that His Majesty the Emperor's words were very reasonable. Apart from the fact that there was no tangible evidence, they did describe a conspirator vividly.
Even, at a certain moment, Zhang Chao and Zang Hong truly believed that the words spoken by His Majesty the Emperor were the truth about the palace coup and Dong Zhuo's calamity in Beijing.
Especially Zang Hong, who had a serious second-grade aura, was even more worried and sweating violently. It was as if at this moment, the three views he had established before collapsed, not even the dregs were left.
"I know that these things are all just conjectures and not very convincing, but you are all well-educated people and should have your own judgment. Go back and think about the truth of the matter."
Liu Bian did not continue to attack because the effect was enough. If he continued to attack again, the taste would completely change, giving people the feeling of deliberate frame-up. It is the kingly way to accept it when it is good and to be cautious.
Zhu Tong waved his hand in an invitation: "You two, please."
Zhang Chao and Zang Hong then stood up and left the table, cupped their hands towards His Majesty the Emperor, turned around and left.
But......
Zhang Chao stopped before he took two steps.
Immediately, he turned back and bowed again: "Your Majesty, this action indeed has nothing to do with Mr. Yuan. It was negotiated with Yuan Yin. We all lost our brothers, so we are filled with grief and anger and made a big mistake."
"Yuan Yin and Yuan Sui arranged for the dead soldiers to enter Nanyang in Ruying. In Nanyang, I and Zang Hong were responsible. As for whether Yuan Gong was involved, we can only catch Yuan Yin for verification."
Liu Bian marveled at Zhang Chao's frankness and asked: "Then do you know where Yuan Yin and Yuan Sui are, and how you communicate?"
Zhang Chao did not hide anything and immediately replied: "The person who was planning to assassinate the guilty minister was a dead soldier of the Yuan family. The communication between the guilty minister and Yuan Sui and Yuan Yin was basically done through him."
"And he has a special merchant channel to contact Yuan Sui and Yuan Yin on Ruying's side. It seems that he went through a caravan named Tianbao. They are not the Yuan family's caravan, but they have close relations with the Yuan family.
connect."
"This is all the sinner knows."
After saying this, Zhang Chao bowed again and said softly: "The guilty minister takes his leave."
Liu Bian took a long breath and broke into a faint smile: "Don't worry, I will definitely find the truth and I will never wrongly accuse the Yuan family."
Zhang Chao nodded: "The guilty minister believes in Your Majesty, and even more believes that Mr. Yuan is innocent."
“Very good!”
Liu Bian naturally knew what Zhang Chao meant: "I can guarantee that if I have wronged Yuan Wei, I will personally apologize to him and clear the Yuan family's name."
Zhang Chao handed over his hand again: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Immediately.
Bow and leave.
Looking at Zhang Chao and Zang Hong's leaving figures, the voice of the Military Advisor Alliance rang out: "Master Bian, your performance this time was very good, especially because you did not pursue victory in the end, it is even more praised by experts."
Liu Bian smiled calmly and said calmly: "I have been taught by you for more than a year. If I can't master these things well, I would be too stupid."
"After all, Zhang Chao is a disciple and former official of the Yuan family. His impression of the Yuan family is deep-rooted. How can I successfully destroy it with just a few words? This requires a process."
"If we hadn't started well from Yuan Shao, and had Cao Cao and Bao Xin as witnesses, we wouldn't have been able to easily open Zhang Chao and Zang Hong's hearts."
"In this case, once I take advantage of the victory and pursue the victory, my original setting will lose its meaning. Instead, it will disgust Zhang Chao and Zang Hong, thus causing unnecessary trouble."
"..."
The Military Advisor Alliance patiently listened to Liu Bian's analysis and couldn't help but praise: "The content analyzed by Mr. Bian is 90% similar to the content analyzed by our psychologists, which is very good."
Liu Bian nodded: "It is only right to make progress! The clues are very clear now. As long as we can catch Yuan Yin and Yuan Sui, we will have won half the battle."
"Yuan Yin is from Ruyang. As long as he can be caught and the three tribes are wiped out, the Yuan family's foundation in Runan will basically be destroyed."
The Military Advisor Alliance quite agreed, but there was no nonsense: "Yes, this is the idea. As long as we kill the Yuan family, Chen family and other wealthy families in Runan, they will not be able to withstand our soft knife attack."
"Dry!"
If a man is not ruthless, his status will be unstable.
What's more, we still have conclusive evidence in hand, so I'm afraid of an egg.
Liu Bian did not hesitate at all and said loudly: "Here comes someone."
Zhu Tong came in from outside the palace: "Your Majesty."
"Go quickly and tell Fengxiao to work with Zijing to investigate a caravan named Tianbao. You must arrest Yuan Sui and Yuan Yin."
"Here."
******
School Affairs Office.
Guo Jia flipped through the information handed over from Lu Su. After careful analysis, he selected more than 30 more suspected caravans from the existing more than 200 caravans:
"Berning."
Guo Jia handed the roster to Man Chong: "For the time being, let's follow the merchants here and send more manpower. At least before the beginning of spring, Yuan Sui and Yuan Yin can be found and brought to justice."
"so much?"
Man Chong opened the roster and browsed, his eyes were as wide as a bell, and he was shocked: "Fengxiao, our county government has only a small number of troops. If we send them all out, what will happen to Wancheng?"
"no!"
Without hesitation, Man Chong shook his head and denied: "Ten caravans at most, no more."
Guo Jiachang sighed and said softly: "You think I am not willing to reduce the difficulty of the investigation? These thirty-two caravans were carefully selected by me. They are the most suspect and must be covered."
"But......"
"Nothing but!"
Before Man Chong could speak, Guo Jia responded directly: "This matter is related to His Majesty's great cause. We must conquer it. Don't worry, Ziqiu and Zhicai should have received the news. They will assist you." .”
"But I..."
Man Chong is really a little powerless.
It is simply impossible for thirty-two merchant teams to do it with the people he has.
Even with Li Min and Xi Xian cooperating with the investigation, the probability of success in such a long-span operation is really very small. Once the enemy is alerted, the gain outweighs the loss.
"Don't worry."
Guo Jia assured him as much as possible: "After you lead the team to leave, I will continue to interrogate Zhang Chao and Zang Hong. Within three days, I will make him speak, and then send someone to send information to you."
"All right."
Man Chong had no choice but to agree: "I'll try my best."
Guo Jia immediately interrupted: "It's not that we try our best, but that we must do it."
Man Chong understood the seriousness of the matter and nodded: "Okay, I will definitely bring Yuan Yin to justice."
Just as Man Chong turned around and was about to leave.
"Report—!"
Suddenly, a long announcement sounded outside the hall.
Guo Jia raised his eyes and looked.
But seeing the emperor's bodyguard Zhu Tong rush in, a trace of joy flashed on his face, and he hurriedly handed over his hands: "Fortunately, you didn't leave. Your Majesty asked the general to tell you that Zhang Chao and Yuan Yin passed through a caravan called Tianbao.
Communicative.”
"Tianbao?"
Guo Jia and Manchong stared at Zhu Tong in disbelief: "Could it be that His Majesty has already pried open Zhang Chao's mouth?"
Although they had such expectations, they never had high hopes.
But who would have thought...
Zhang Chao and Zang Hong had only entered the palace for half an hour, but they were easily defeated by His Majesty the Emperor and took the initiative to hand over such crucial information!
Incredible!
It’s really incredible!
"kindness."
Zhu Tong nodded affirmatively: "Yes, your majesty has successfully captured Zhang Chao. It was Zhang Chao who took the initiative to tell your majesty about the Tianbao caravan. You two can rest assured."
"Very good!"
The most exciting thing is Man Chong.
It is already extremely difficult to select thirty-two caravans from more than two hundred caravans.
And His Majesty directly pinpointed one for him. For Man Chong, this was simply a blessing from heaven: "I will go back now to prepare and try to capture Yuan Yin and Yuan Sui as quickly as possible.
"
"Take this."
Guo Jia hurriedly extracted the information on Tianbao Caravan from a pile of information: "Go back to Haosheng to do research, try to get one hit, arrest Yuan Sui and Yuan Yin, and at the same time send someone to inform Zhicai to beware of the Yuan family.
"
Once Yuan Sui and Yuan Yin are arrested, the news will inevitably reach the Yuan family. At that time, the Yuan family will most likely take drastic measures, so they have to be careful in advance.
"Don't worry."
This time, Man Chong was full of confidence, patting her chest and promising: "I promise there won't be any mistakes."
Guo Jia nodded: "Okay, I'm in Wancheng, waiting for your good news."
Immediately.
Man Chong waved his hand, dropped two words "leave", and walked away.
Looking at Man Chong's leaving figure, Guo Jia sighed with relief and his heart was completely relieved: "Shiwei Zhu, do you have time?"
Zhu Tong seemed to have guessed Guo Jia's thoughts: "Why, I want to know how your majesty captured Zhang Chao?"
Guo Jia nodded without covering up: "Of course! I hope Guard Zhu can tell the truth."
Zhu Tong smiled faintly and said softly: "Okay, after today's shift, how about you treat me to a drink and I'll tell you?"
Guo Jia happily agreed and bowed his head: "In that case, we are committed!"
Zhu Tong cupped his hands and said, "It's settled in one word."
******
Royal Palace.
Jiaofang Hall.
Tang Ji sat in front of the dressing table Liu Bian built for her, looking at her beautiful self in the mirror, she picked out her favorite hairpin from a box and inserted it on it:
"Xinruo, how are you doing? Does it look good?"
"Well, this outfit really suits you, and it especially complements your temperament."
"Your Majesty should be back soon, right?"
"It should take another half an hour."
"..."
While the two were chatting, a familiar figure reflected in the mirror.
Tang Ji hurriedly turned around and looked around, her eyes shining: "Father, why are you here?"
Tang Mao frowned and looked his daughter up and down: "My good daughter, why is there still no movement in your stomach?"
Tang Ji was speechless: "Dad—!"
"Don't call me dad, I don't have a dad like you."
"Hehe, don't be angry."
"Pooh!"
Tang Mao chewed it up and quickly changed his words: "I don't have a daughter like you!"
Tang Ji hugged her father's arm and whispered softly: "Dad, His Majesty said that career should be the first priority now. Wait until the court has completely settled down and the daughter has recovered her health before considering the child's problems."
Tang Mao stared at his daughter: "Aren't you in good health? I asked Dr. Wang before I came here. He said you are fine. Don't use this matter to prevaricate me!"
"father-!"
Tang Ji helped her father sit down next to her: "Although my daughter's body has recovered, isn't His Majesty busy all the time? Now that the court is finally on the right track, my daughter can't be a drag on Your Majesty."
"Hey You, my silly daughter You!"
Tang Mao was so angry that he beat his chest and hurriedly changed his daughter's thinking and said: "After you are pregnant with the child, His Majesty will have to revolve around you and the child. How can this be called a drag?"
"On a small scale, you are helping the royal family continue its incense. On a larger scale, you are trying to stabilize the hearts of the civil and military officials of the imperial court. The late emperor ascended the throne at the age of twelve and has done such a thing in his life. In the end, there are only two,
Why don't you hold on tighter?"
"I can tell you!"
Tang Mao pointed at his daughter angrily and said, "If you don't conceive your Majesty's heir again, I'm sure the ministers of the imperial court will join you and depose you from the throne of queen."
"Moreover, the Nanyang Yin family has already begun to train their own daughters. They just want to wait for the court to start selecting concubines and send their daughters to the palace. How come you don't have any sense of crisis."
Tang Ji's Emei frowned slightly: "Father, don't scare your daughter. How can the courtiers take care of this kind of thing?"
Tang Mao shook his head and exhaled: "The emperor's family affairs are state affairs. Don't you understand this? Moreover, now that the imperial court has a Taiwei and Situ here, within two years, they will definitely persuade His Majesty to choose a concubine.
.”
"My silly daughter!"
Tang Mao stared at his daughter angrily: "By then, you will have already passed the age of twenty-eight. How can you compete with those women for favor? Why don't you hurry up and give birth to a prince for His Majesty while he only belongs to you?"
"I'm pregnant with His Majesty's child this year. If it's a girl, you still have time to conceive again. If you miss these two years, when there are more women around Your Majesty, and they are all prettier than you, how can you compete with others?"
Tang Ji felt a little scared: "Father, daughter..."
Tang Mao interrupted without hesitation, and there was no room for negotiation: "I don't care! Next year, you must conceive a dragon species. This is your mission, do you hear me?"
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Thanks to [Photo by Qinglan] Da Lao for the 100 coin reward!