Chapter 333 Yuan Zhong! Betrayer of Runan Yuan Clan?
"Brother Gonghua, why is it you?"
Outside Pengcheng, Tao Qian came out to meet Guo Xiang. He recognized Xu Rong from a distance and hurriedly greeted him.
Xu Rong also had a smile on his face and took the initiative to greet Tao Qian. He held Tao Qian's hand tightly and said with emotion: "Brother Gongzu, I've been away for so many years, and you're fine!"
(PS: "Erya·Shicao": The wood is called the flower, and the grass is called the glory! The name of Xu Rong was not found, so the self-named word is Gonghua, which is consistent with the general meaning of Rong and conforms to the era's word selection standards.)
"It's been five or six years, right?"
Tao Qian couldn't hide the smile on his face, and he held Xu Rong's hand without letting go. Two lines of tears burst out of his eyes: "Gonghua, why don't you come to Xuzhou to find me?"
"I......"
Xu Rong breathed out and said helplessly: "I have been fighting all these years. How can I have time? If it hadn't been for Your Majesty's order for me to garrison in Xuzhou and join forces with Meng De to defend Liu Dai, I would have never known that you were actually in Xuzhou.
ah."
Hearing this, Tao Qian turned to the direction of Nanyang without hesitation, and bowed deeply to the sky: "Old minister Tao Qian, thank you so much, Your Majesty, for sending my old friend here!"
"Brother Gongzu."
Xu Rong was also moved and hurriedly helped Tao Qian up: "Don't be like this, Xuzhou officials are still watching. It's inappropriate for you and me to do this!"
"Go, go, go!"
Tao Qian turned around and pulled Xu Rong with his other hand, as if he was afraid that he would escape from his side: "Brother, I ordered someone to prepare a banquet just for you and me. We won't come home until we get drunk today."
Xu Rong kept nodding his head: "I couldn't ask for it, that's great!"
"Demo—!"
"exist."
"Brother, I'm going to indulge myself a little bit today, and I'll leave the team to you, okay?"
"Don't worry, drink it, I'm here, it'll be no problem."
"good."
Tao Qian on the side also nodded to Cheng Pu: "Thank you, general."
Cheng Pu hurriedly returned the salute: "How dare you? This is the responsibility of the general, why should I say thank you?"
At this moment, Xu Rong and Tao Qian entered the city holding hands.
Xuzhou Civil and Military Affairs followed closely behind.
Governor's Mansion.
Tao Qian sat at the head, and under him sat the civil and military officials on both sides.
He personally raised the wine cup and invited everyone: "Come, come, everyone, pick up the wine cup and drink this wine for the two generals Xu Rong, Cheng Pu, and Lu Su Shangshu who stayed in Xuzhou."
Xuzhou's civil and military officials all raised their wine glasses and said, "Do it!"
Lifting his neck, the wine is dry.
What a pleasure!
Three nobles and five nobles were eaten, and the banquet atmosphere became more and more joyful.
The entire advancement process was even smoother than Xu Rong imagined.
Xu Rong was from Xuantu County, Youzhou. In such a bitter and cold place, drinking wine was like drinking water. Faced with everyone's toasts, he would not refuse anyone who came and drank heavily.
In a short time, the atmosphere of the banquet was pushed to a climax.
Tao Qian drank another drink, his face glowing red, as if he was already drunk.
Xu Rong was afraid of causing trouble, so while Tao Qian was still able to speak, he hurriedly said: "Brother Gongzu, I want to be stationed in Xuzhou, and I will inevitably have to cooperate with Xuzhou soldiers in the future. Why not take this opportunity to introduce something to me.
"
"well-"
Sighing, Tao Qian hurriedly said: "Thankfully, Brother Gonghua reminded me, otherwise I would have missed the real deal."
"Come!"
At that moment, Tao Qian put down the wine cup, waved his hand and pointed downwards at a muscular man: "Brother Gonghua, let me introduce to you. This man is called Cao Bao, and he is my captain in Xuzhou."
"The last general, Cao Bao, has met General Xu."
"I have admired you for a long time!"
Xu Rong rushed to Cao Bao and cupped his hands. He looked very respectful on his face, but he was complaining in his heart: "This person is Captain Cao Bao? Although he is not as skinny as a stick, it is difficult to be compared with a mighty general. There are not even many calluses on the tiger's hand, which proves that he is very strong."
Less martial arts."
"Brother Gongzu is also a veteran general on the battlefield. How could he be promoted to captain? Is it possible that this man is a Confucian general who relies on his unparalleled wisdom rather than his bravery?"
"kindness!"
Xu Rong secretly judged: "Maybe."
Then, Tao Qian continued to introduce, and all military lieutenant generals did not miss it.
"This is Zhang Kai!"
Tao Qian pointed at the man in front of him, twisted his beard and said proudly: "He is a famous ranger in Qingxu, with superb martial arts. When I was conquering the Yellow Turbans in Xuzhou, this man broke into the Yellow Turban camp at night and killed the Yellow Turban Qu Commander. He became famous in one battle.
.”
Zhang Kai quickly raised his hands and clasped his fists: "The last general, Zhang Kai, has met General Xu."
"oh?"
Xu Rong couldn't help being surprised, his eyes rolled up and down, looking at the other person.
But when I saw this person, he had a strong body, a resolute face, eyes like cold stars, and obvious calluses on the tiger's mouth of his right hand. His whole person had an evil aura. If he hadn't killed countless people, it would be difficult for him to have such a fierce temperament.
"kindness."
Xu Rong nodded: "It's interesting."
Tao Qiandan smiled: "This man is definitely a powerful general."
Xu Rong deeply agreed: "It must be extraordinary to be praised by Brother Gongzu."
"Ha ha!"
Tao Qian twisted his beard and smiled: "That's natural."
Xu Rong's eyes scanned the civil and military forces below: "Brother Gongzu, I heard that you have a Cavalry Commander named Zang Ba under your command. This man is good at fighting and has many powerful generals under his command. Why don't you see this man coming?"
"this......"
Tao Qian looked slightly unhappy, but he still exhaled and explained: "Since it is brother Gonghua who is asking, I will tell you directly. Zang Ba is currently stationed in Langya. Although he belongs to Xuzhou, he is
independent existence."
"Brother, I am only responsible for providing some food and grass. If there is a war in Xuzhou, Zang Ba and his men will participate. If there is no war, this is the relationship between us and we will not interfere with each other."
hiss-!
Xu Rong was surprised.
He simply couldn't believe that such a situation would happen under Tao Qian's governance.
You know, when he first conquered Beigong Boyu, Tao Qian was famous for his violent temper. He was even as good as the Jiangdong Tigers. How could someone like him tolerate such a thing?
Before Xu Rong could ask, Tao Qian himself began to explain: "Brother Gonghua, after many years of fighting, I am no longer as brave as I used to be. When I was conquering the Yellow Turbans, my old illnesses often recurred, but the military orders of the imperial court were still there, so I had to carry them out.
"
"It's rare to have such a tiger general conquering the Yellow Turbans for me, so I was a little indulgent. But who would have thought that when he was conquering the Yellow Turbans, his strength expanded rapidly and was beyond my control."
"At that time, the Yellow Turban Rebellion was over. Brother, I really didn't want to cause trouble again, so I made an agreement with Zang Ba. He would still be stationed at Langya, and I would provide food and grass. Both parties would not interfere with each other, and we would jointly protect the people of Xuzhou."
"Simply!"
Tao Qian added, emphasizing: "For so many years, we have lived in peace and harmony, which proves that Zang Ba is probably only thinking about self-preservation and does not have much ambition."
"So that's it."
Xu Rong nodded with interest.
really!
As His Majesty the Emperor said, Zang Ba and Cao Bao are indeed two unstable factors.
Cao Bao is still on his own, at least under the control of Tao Qian, but Zang Ba obviously has an aura of keeping strangers away from him, so it may not be as easy as imagined to integrate this group of soldiers.
Xu Rong did not continue to inquire further. Even if Tao Qian did not doubt it, he was afraid that the Xuzhou civil and military officials in the palace would be dissatisfied. The future was long, so he was not too anxious.
"Come on, let's continue drinking."
"Yes! Drink!"
*****
Peiguo, Xiang County.
The side hall of the county government.
Yuan Zhong knelt down on the futon, picked up a bunch of millet stalks and threw them into the charcoal brazier.
Although he was born into the Yuan family in Runan, he was fortunate to be spared because he was not among the three clans of Yuan Yin.
but......
As a member of the Yuan clan in Runan, it is still very heartbreaking to suffer this disaster.
During the recent period, Yuan Zhong has never recovered and spent the whole day in the side hall, weeping.
Recalling how his family had cultivated him, he always felt sorry for the old patriarch Yuan Wei.
Especially now that he has been promoted to the county magistrate by His Majesty the Emperor of Nanyang, he has fewer resources and even less influence.
Originally, Yuan Zhong thought about resigning, and then used the identity of the Yuan family to stir up a huge storm, forcing His Majesty the Emperor to clear the name of the Yuan family in Runan.
But before he could start implementing it, a letter from Chang'an completely made him give up the idea.
That’s right!
This letter is from the servant Yuan Ji.
Yuan Zhong held the silk cloth in his hand. Although he did not understand the old patriarch Yuan Wei's decision to bear the humiliation, as his benefactor, he would still implement it unswervingly.
Squeak—!
At this moment, the palace door opened and a cool breeze blew in.
Yuan Zhong stuffed the silk letter into his arms, then picked up a handful of millet stalks and threw them into the charcoal brazier: "Madam, I'm fine. Don't worry. I'll go back and rest later."
The graceful woman came forward, saluted to the spiritual tablet, knelt down, and threw a handful of millet stalks into the brazier: "Husband, a man who claims to be a disciple of the Yuan family and a former official wants to see you."
"kindness?"
Yuan Zhong frowned and turned to glance at the woman: "A disciple of the Yuan family?"
The graceful woman nodded: "Well, I'm currently in the front hall."
"Do you know what his name is?"
"I don't know who I am."
The graceful woman shook her head and said softly: "That man only said that he was a conscientious disciple of the Yuan family and an old official. He did not know his name. If my husband doesn't want to see me, I can just let him go."
"No need."
Yuan Zhong sighed and thought for a long time: "The other party must be here for my Yuan family. As a descendant of the Yuan family, there is no reason why I should not see him. I must see him!"
Say it.
Yuan Zhong stood up, saluted the spiritual tablet, and bowed to leave.
Immediately, he went straight to the front hall.
As expected.
A man is waiting in the front hall. He is wearing a dark-colored turban, a plain silk outer cover, a thin hemp rope around his waist, and a soap towel to tie his hair. He is obviously wearing linen as a mourning tribute to the Yuan family in Runan.
"Brother Zhengfu—!"
Seeing Yuan Zhong coming to the front hall, the man hurriedly came up to meet him. Two lines of tears burst into his eyes: "The Yuan family in Runan has suffered such a disaster. As a descendant of the Yuan family, you can't just let it go!"
"Who are you......"
Yuan Zhong looked at the other party.
He was certain and certain that the person in front of him was someone he didn't know.
However, the Yuan family of Runan was the fourth generation and the third Duke, and his disciples and former officials were all over the world.
It is normal to have disciples and former officials whom Yuan Zhong does not know!
"I am just a very inconspicuous person among the disciples and former officials of the Yuan family."
"but......"
When the conversation changed, the man waved his sleeves to wipe away the tears from the corner of his eyes, patted his chest, and said loudly: "I believe that the disciples and former officials of the Yuan family, like me, will not accept such a fact."
"The Yuan family of Runan has been loyal for generations, how could they do such a treasonous act? His Majesty, the Emperor of Nanyang, simply wanted to suppress the Yuan family, so he deliberately fabricated facts to frame the Yuan family!"
"Zhengfu!"
The man leaned forward and held up his hands, and said with great solemnity: "As a conscientious disciple and former official, I would like to ask you to come forward and call on Ruying, the Yuan family's descendants in the Qingxu area, and the former disciples and officials to ask for a favor from His Majesty the Emperor of Nanyang.
justice."
hiss-!
Yuan Zhong took a breath and became nervous subconsciously.
Sure enough, as the servant Yuan Ji said in his letter, someone will definitely persuade him to resist.
No matter what the other party's reasons are, for the Yuan family in Runan, this will definitely be a disaster.
Yuan Zhong did not agree, but helped him up with his own hands: "Get up first. We have to consider this matter in the long run. We must not act rashly, otherwise it will be a disaster."
"Brother Zhengfu!"
But the man was reluctant and frowned: "This matter has been going on for ten months. I have been contacting people from all parties. Now many people have agreed, only the direct descendants of the Yuan family in Runan."
"You must believe that I have never acted recklessly. If His Majesty the Emperor of Nanyang dares to attack us, he will surely anger all the disciples and old officials in the world!"
Yuan Zhong remained calm and helped the other person sit aside: "But Yuan doesn't know your name yet."
The man had no choice but to lean forward and hold his hands in his hands: "I am Qin Hao, my courtesy name is Zihan!"
Yuan Zhong frowned: "Qin Hao?"
"kindness."
Qin Hao nodded: "Yes, exactly."
Yuan Zhong looked at the other party. He was about the same age as himself, but he had never heard such a name before: "I wonder which of my uncles from the Yuan family is your mentor?"
Qin Hao said without hesitation: "I am Grand Tutor Yuan from Chang'an. It's just that I am a bit unsatisfied and have never been able to continue to advance in my life. But no matter what, I am also a disciple and former official of the Yuan family."
"Brother Zihan was able to do this, Yuan was greatly moved."
"but......"
Yuan Zhong let out a long breath and said, "Where did you come from? How many people have you summoned now? Are the recent rumors in the Ruying area related to you? You have to tell me clearly."
"good!"
Qin Hao nodded affirmatively: "I came from Yanzhou, and now I have gathered at least a hundred people, some of whom came from Yanzhou, and some who are developing in the direction of Ruying."
"As for the recent rumors, they do have something to do with us, and even the common people believe that the Yuan family is loyal to the court. If we can be led by the Yuan family's children, we will definitely go to heaven to let His Majesty return the Yuan family.
A justice.”
Yuan Zhong always remained calm and continued to ask: "Tell me what your plan is?"
Qin Hao was overjoyed and hurriedly said: "That's it, we'll be ready..."
After about a quarter of an hour, Qin Hao just described the entire plan.
I have to admit that the other party's thinking is thorough, well organized and very maneuverable.
but......
The more this happens, the more Yuan Zhong becomes suspicious.
How could such an organized person remain unknown?
Yuan Zhong even felt that the opponent's ability was still higher than his, at least he would not lose to him.
If this person is really a disciple and former official of the Yuan family, how could the Yuan family not focus on training him?
Now, the other party jumped out at such an opportunity. On the surface, it did look like a disciple of the Yuan family. However, the more he repeatedly emphasized leading the Yuan family's children, the more Yuan Zhong felt uneasy.
"Your plans are very detailed."
Yuan Zhong pinched a strand of beard under his chin, nodded slowly, and said softly: "But please give me some time to think about it. This matter is not a trivial matter after all. Once decided, it will be life and death."
"Can!"
Qin Hao did not hesitate, and clasped his hands towards Yuan Zhong: "I believe that every member of the Yuan family will not accept this slander. It is our duty to fight for the Yuan family's innocence at all costs.
"
Say it.
Qin Hao stood up and left the table, sighing: "In that case, I'll take my leave for now. It won't be too late to come back in a few days."
Yuan Zhong quickly waved his hand to interrupt: "Wait a minute!"
Qin Hao stopped: "What? Brother Zhengfu, do you have any other instructions?"
"How do I contact you?"
"this......"
Qin Hao pondered for a moment, and finally said: "I will come again in five days."
Yuan Zhong knew that the other party had concerns, so he nodded: "Okay, I'll wait for you."
Send him out of the house in person.
Yuan Zhong returned to the side hall, knelt down in front of the spiritual tablet, and took out Yuan Ji's letter from his arms: "Brother, you have guessed it. Dong Zhuo sent people to fan the wind and light the fire, hoping to use this to cause trouble."
"what do I do?"
Yuan Zhong held Yuan Ji's letter with mixed feelings in his heart.
That’s right!
Yuan Zhong has already figured out the other party's identity.
It was Dong Zhuo who planted an assassin in the direction of Yuzhou, deliberately fanning the flames, and wanted to use the Yuan family's affairs to set off a huge storm, thus restricting the development of the Nanyang Emperor.
Although the other party wears sackcloth and mourns, and is heartbroken on the surface, in their hearts, they have never really cared about the life and death of the Yuan family, otherwise how could they formulate such a sinister plan.
"Damn it!"
Yuan Zhong gritted his teeth and prayed secretly in his heart: "Ancestors of the Yuan family, who among you can tell me what should I do if my son is unfilial and loyal?"
Early next morning.
The rooster crows the dawn and the morning glow fills the sky.
Yuan Zhong handed the written letter to his servant and warned: "You must rush to Nanyang quickly and be sure to hand this letter to Jiyang Ling Yuan Huan in person. Do you understand?"
The servant put the letter in his arms and nodded affirmatively: "Master, don't worry, just leave it to the villain."
Yuan Zhongen said: "Go quickly!"
The servant cupped his hands and said, "Here."
*****
Nanyang, Wancheng.
Emperor's palace.
Warm Pavilion.
Liu Bian sat upright, holding the letter in his hand, and couldn't help but be surprised: "You mean, this letter was handed to Yuan Zhong, the magistrate of Xiangxian County, to Yuan Huan, the magistrate of Jiyang, and then sent to your school from Yuan Huan, the magistrate of Jiyang.
Shifu?"
"That's right!"
Guo Jia nodded affirmatively, with a look of disbelief on his face: "And your Majesty, Yuan Zhong's silk book is divided into two layers. The top layer is for Dong Zhuo's assassination, and the lower layer is for Yuan Huan."
"After reading the contents of the letter from the superiors, Dong Zhuo's assassins determined that Yuan Zhong was contacting Yuan Huan. Only then did they fully believe that Yuan Zhong would agree to their plan, so they did not stop it."
"For the same reason, Yuan Huan was able to successfully deliver the letter to the school affairs office after seeing the contents of the lower-level letter, giving us enough time to prepare."
"His Majesty!"
Guo Jia bowed his head and said with great interest: "This Yuan Zhong is not a simple man! He would rather bear the name of a traitor to the Yuan family, to save the Yuan family, and to show his loyalty to His Majesty. He must want to go one step further."
Seriously.
Even Liu Bian himself did not think of it.
Yuan Zhong actually betrayed Dong Zhuo to express his sincerity to himself, the emperor who killed nearly half of the Yuan clan.
Such an abnormal behavior really shocked Liu Bian.
Although this letter contains a certain truth, it is really scary!
Liu Bian took a deep breath, thought for a moment, and tried to ask: "What does filial piety mean?"
Guo Jia did not hide it, and immediately gave the answer: "Eliminate Dong Zhuo's assassination, and then pretend that this never happened."
"oh?"
Liu Bian frowned: "What about Yuan Zhong? Do you want to be promoted?"
Guo Jia shook his head: "No promotion. This is to protect Yuan Zhong, and it is also the most beneficial measure for Your Majesty."
"kindness!"
If you think about it carefully, this is really the case.
If Liu Bian promoted Yuan Zhong, it would be equivalent to telling Dong Zhuo that Yuan Zhong leaked the secret.
Although this may anger Dong Zhuo, it will not harm Yuan Wei. At best, it will only make Yuan Zhong bear the reputation of a traitor, which is not very meaningful.
But on the other hand, because Liu Bian promoted Yuan Zhong, it was equivalent to substantially strengthening the Yuan family's power in Nanyang Hanting. I am afraid that this is Yuan Wei's real purpose.
And if Yuan Zhong is not promoted, Quan will be the assassin of the school affairs office, discover the traces of the thieves, and then follow the clues to eliminate them all, so that Yuan Zhong can be protected.
In fact, because Yuan Zhong was not promoted, the development of the Yuan family in Nanyang Hanting was temporarily curbed in some way. At this juncture, it was more beneficial to the emperor.
Awesome!
Guo Jia is really awesome!
Liu Bian handed the letter to Guo Jia and said immediately: "In that case, I will leave this matter to you. Remember to catch them all and don't expose any flaws."
Guo Jia bowed his head and said loudly: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will leave this matter to you. I guarantee that Yuan Zhong will not be implicated, let alone Dong Zhuo's assassination, and he will not notice anything unusual."
"very good!"
Liu Bian nodded affirmatively.
Liu Bian still had great trust in Guo Jia's ability to do things: "We can take this opportunity to expand the campus affairs office to Yuzhou and Xuzhou."
Guo Jia paused and finally said: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will do my best."
Liu Bian said softly: "I know what concerns you have. If you find a good person, just report it. I will consider it as appropriate and include him in the school affairs office."
Guo Jia was overjoyed and quickly bowed his head: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
In the past, Liu Bian was not very interested in this mysterious organization.
But after experiencing this period of contact, I suddenly found that it is of great benefit and is a very important organization.
Therefore, even if there are currently insufficient officials, Liu Bian will still not give up on the development of the school affairs office, and will even pay more attention to it.
After all, the enemy is cunning, they are all-pervasive and impossible to guard against.
"Oh right."
Just as Guo Jia was about to leave, Liu Bian suddenly remembered something and took down a book from the bookcase: "This is the structure of the intelligence system and common methods of intelligence transmission written by me. If you take it back, it may be useful to you."
help."
Guo Jia took the scroll with both hands and said, "Thank you very much, Your Majesty, for the book. I will study it well."