The jade seal passed down to the country is the Jingshan jade, that is, the He's Bi. Not only is it extremely valuable, but it has also been legendary from the first moment it was born.
When the king of Chu was in the early spring and Autumn period, Bian He, a native of Chu, found a piece of beautiful jade on Jingshan Mountain and presented it to the king of Chu. However, when the king of Chu asked someone to identify it, he said it was just an ordinary stone, so the king of Chu sent Bian He to the king of Chu.
He had his left foot cut off. After King Wu of Chu came to the throne, Bian He offered jade again, but King Wu still didn't believe it, so Bian He had his right foot cut off again.
After King Wen of Chu came to the throne, Bian He held the jade and cried for three days and three nights on Jingshan Mountain. His tears oozed blood. King Wen sent someone to inquire, and then he ordered someone to cut open the stone, and the result was beautiful jade. King Chu polished it into jade, and later generations
So he named it Heshi Bi.
During the Warring States Period, this jade passed into the hands of King Zhao Huiwen, and the wonderful story of "the perfect jade returned to Zhao" was performed. With the demise of the Zhao Kingdom, this jade finally fell into the hands of King Zheng of Qin.
And it was Ying Zheng who gave this jade its magical power. What did he do?
In fact, he just ordered Li Si to carve eight small seal characters, but these eight characters were very unusual, which meant "if you are ordered by heaven, you will live forever".
At the end of the Qin Dynasty, the Prince of Qin wore plain clothes and presented the jade seal to Liu Bang. After that, the jade seal became the special seal of the emperor of the Han Dynasty and was passed down from generation to generation.
, because he did not have this piece of jade, he was even ridiculed as the "Emperor of the Blank Slate".
So where is this jade seal now?
It is indeed in the hands of Wang Zheng.
During the reign of the Young Emperor of the Han Dynasty, there was great chaos in the palace. The Young Emperor and Liu Xie fled in a panic, and even lost the imperial seal. They disappeared for several years until Sun Jian led his army into Luoyang and heard soldiers talking about a dry well in the palace.
There was a faint light and treasure in it, and he wanted to soar into the sky, so he went to salvage it, and then the jade seal passed down to the country was seen again. Sun Jian was even more delighted, thinking that it was his destiny.
However, the jade seal not only failed to bring destiny to Sun Jian, but also brought disaster to his life. Soon after, Sun Jian died at the hands of Huang Zu. Later, Sun Ce wanted to go to Wu County to welcome his family, so he exchanged the jade seal for Yuan Shu's release, and even borrowed two thousand soldiers and horses.
, from then on, the dragon entered the sea, and then became more and more brazen in rebellion. Only then did he force Yuan Shu to ask for help from Wang Zheng, and lured the wolf into the house, which finally led to the complete change of ownership of Jiangdong.
When Wang Zheng entered Shouchun again as a victor, he entered the Chu Palace that night. Even Yuan Shu's widow, Mrs. Feng, was taken as his own, and the Imperial Seal naturally fell into his hands.
Of course, as a later generation, Wang Zheng did not regard the imperial seal as an important entity "representing the destiny" like Sun Jian and Yuan Shu. This object is rare and rare. If it were placed in later generations, it might be better used as a centerpiece of the Palace Museum.
It is a treasure, but at this time, in Wang Zheng's eyes, it is just a plaything with some value and history, and he does not pay too much attention to it.
But it's one thing not to take it seriously, and another thing entirely whether you want to give it to Yuan Shaona.
Are you kidding, if an illegitimate child opens his mouth, I will hand over this "treasure" with both hands?
So Wang Zheng just smiled slightly and said, "Why did Mr. Yuan say this? The imperial seal is not in the hands of this general."
"Not in the hands of Zhou Mu?" Yuan Fang was startled when he heard this, and then he laughed dumbly, "If Zhou Mu doesn't want to, just say so, why bother fooling me?"
"At the beginning, Sun Ce offered the jade seal to Yuan Shu in exchange for troops and horses. This matter was known to the whole world. Now that Yuan Shu has been defeated, if the jade seal is not in the hands of the Zhou Mu, who is it?"
"That's fake."
Wang Zheng rolled his eyes, opened his mouth without blushing, and said, "When I took over Shouchun, I did find a jade seal from the palace. I was very happy at that time, and even held a big banquet with everyone.
I watched it together, and a capable person under my command discovered this."
"Oh?" Yuan Fang asked doubtfully, "How did you find out?"
Wang Zheng said calmly, "Master Yuan, you should know that the imperial seal is now made of gold inlaid with jade, right?"
Yuan Fang nodded. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty and wanted to get this jade seal. The empress dowager at that time was unwilling to give it to Wang Mang. In the end, the queen mother threw it to the ground in anger.
From then on, a corner was broken off. Later, Wang Mang asked a craftsman to fill the missing corner with gold.
From then on, the jade seal became an imperfect piece of gold inlaid with jade.
"My minister used to be a craftsman, and he has very good eyesight." Wang Zhengdao: "He discovered at that time that the gold and jade parts were new marks, not old seals, so he concluded that the jade seal was not genuine."
"Then where is this fake jade seal now?" Yuan Fang still refused to give up, "Can I let you see it to determine the authenticity?"
"Master Yuan is late."
Wang Zheng thought to himself that I had already guessed what you were going to say. How could he be given this opportunity? He immediately blocked the gap. "Since it is a fake, I have been deceived by Sun Ce. At that time, I was furious and resentful.
In a moment of impulsiveness, I destroyed this jade seal."
"this"
Yuan Fang was stunned. He looked at Wang Zheng intently for a while and then said, "According to Zhou Mu, this imperial seal is still in the hands of the Sun family of Wu County?"
"I guess so."
"Now that Zhou Mu has captured half of Yangzhou, Wu County must be the next step. If you find the jade seal from the Sun family, would you be willing to give it to Mr. Yuan?"
This is it.
Wang Zheng laughed dryly and did not want to put his words to death and give others a handle. He just said vaguely: "Although this jade seal is valuable, it is a delicate object after all. It can be carried by one person in his arms. Even if he captures Wu County in the future, I will not do it."
I guarantee that I will definitely get the jade seal."
"Haha." Yuan Fang smiled and said nothing, then asked: "Then I would like to ask Zhou Mu, when do you plan to visit Jiangyou?"
"I'm afraid we won't be able to use troops in the short term."
Wang Zheng smiled and said: "Our army has been through many wars in recent years. Not only are all three armies exhausted, but there is also a shortage of food. Fortunately not long ago, Jingzhou Shepherd Liu Biao generously donated money and food to help, and the crisis was temporarily relieved. Mr. Yuan should also be aware of this."
Heard?"
"I've heard a little bit about it." Yuan Fang nodded slightly. The movement of millions of grains of dendrobium was naturally quite big, and it couldn't be completed in a few days. There were certainly many people in the world who knew about it at this time.
"Food is insufficient, and Shouchun's ordnance is insufficient." Wang Zheng sighed and said with a wry smile: "In terms of my heart, I certainly hope to unify Yangzhou as soon as possible so that the people on Jiangyou can escape from Sun Ce as soon as possible.
It's a tiger's mouth, but now that I'm powerless, I'm afraid it won't be possible to look back in the near future."
Seeing that Wang Zheng's words were flawless, the dissatisfaction in Yuan Fang's eyes flashed away, and he put on a friendly smile and said: "In that case, let's put this matter aside for now, don't you know about the trade between Jizhou and Beihai?"
"Tomorrow I will ask Mi Fang to come and discuss with you." He refused to agree on the Yuxi matter, and Wang Zheng was equally unwilling to give up on the price of salt. "He will be responsible for Beihai's business."
Seeing what Yuan Fang was about to say, he waved his hand to cut him off, "It's getting late. Mr. Yuan has a good rest tonight. Let our two men discuss this matter tomorrow."
"You are a distinguished guest. You have come from a long way. You must let me make good arrangements and entertain you to ensure that your trip is worthwhile."
As soon as he stepped out of the inner palace, the smile on Wang Zheng's face disappeared and his face became as dark as water. He turned around and called his guards, and immediately ordered, "Instruct Guo Jia, Zhang Zhao and Mi Fang to come into the palace quickly to see me."
"promise!"
After everyone entered the study and sat down one after another, Wang Zheng relayed what Yuan Fang had just said one by one, and then asked: "What do you think of this matter?"
Gongsun Zan's deathbed counterattack put Yuan Shao into a dilemma of lack of salt. There is no need to talk much about trade, it is just how to deal with it. Guo Jia pondered for a long time and said slowly: "In my opinion, I will help him this time."
"Oh?" Wang Zheng asked sideways, "Why?"
"Yuan Fang dares to tell the truth frankly. In fact, he is showing his attitude. He is not afraid that the lord will not agree. Why?"
Guo Jia said in a deep voice: "My lord and Yuan Shao are in the same situation right now. They are in the same situation. They are both resting after a big battle. The three armies are exhausted and it is not suitable to use troops in the short term. We both know it well, but salt and food are equally important.
It affects the livelihood of the army and the people, and affects the safety of the territory. If the lord does not allow trade, or even adjusts the price of salt, even if it is impossible to fight, it is not suitable to fight. Under the pressure of the situation, Yuan Shao has to bite the bullet and immediately launch troops against Beihai. Such a war is inevitable
!」
"After this battle, no matter who wins or loses, both sides will suffer.
The fish is dead and the net is broken, and it even gives Cao Cao and other princes the opportunity to reap the benefits. Yuan Shao naturally doesn't want to, and he also thinks that the lord will definitely not want to. This is where Yuan Fang's confidence lies, and this is a conspiracy."
This eloquent talk was well-founded. Zhang Zhao and Mi Fang on the side nodded repeatedly, and Wang Zheng also fell into silence.
In fact, he had thought of this before. In the current troubled times, if the two heroes were hunting like the Chu-Han War for Hegemony, they would only need to injure the enemy a thousand times, but they could even injure themselves eight hundred. But the problem is, isn't it!
Nowadays, it is more like the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, where heroes compete for the deer. In this case, let alone injuring the enemy by one thousand and losing eight hundred to oneself, or even losing four hundred to oneself, one must consider it carefully and consider the whole situation.
Now that he has thought of it, why does Wang Zheng still ask Guo Jia?
Because I’m unhappy!
Although Wang Zheng has not met Yuan Shao in person, he can tell from the behavior of Yuan Fang, the illegitimate son, that the Yuan family father and son are really not ordinary arrogant. They clearly want to ask for help, but they treat him like the weak one.
.
Not only did he ask him to adjust the price of salt, but he even opened his mouth to ask for the jade seal passed down from the country. This was simply arrogant. It was impossible to think that Wang Zheng was a vegetarian!
So Wang Zheng knew intellectually that for the sake of interests and the overall situation, he should agree to Yuan Fang's request, but emotionally he felt really unhappy!
Do you think I will definitely cooperate?
Not only did I not cooperate, not only did I not adjust the price of salt or open up trade, I also directly cut off the salt road, forcing you, Yuan Shao, to fight with me now!
However, these harsh words were just what he was thinking about in his mind. After pondering for a moment, Wang Zheng nodded slightly, agreeing with Guo Jia's view, but there was still some resentment on his lips: "I also know that it is not appropriate to start a full-scale conflict with Yuan Shao at this time.
It’s just that Yuan Fang, this pretty boy, has such a loud tone and looks like he’s convinced that he’s going to defeat me, which is really annoying.”
"As you can see from your filial piety, this guy not only wants us to help him get rid of the salt shortage in Jizhou, but he actually asks me for the imperial seal. It's really bizarre and I don't know what to say."
But Guo Jia sighed lightly and said calmly: "In fact, my lord should promise him."
What?
Hearing this, not only Wang Zheng was shocked, but also Zhang Zhao and Mi Fang looked at each other. Mi Fang couldn't help but said: "Why do you say this when offering wine? The national jade seal is a rare treasure, and everyone knows this.
Containing dragon energy and destiny, the jade seal is now in the hands of the Lord, which is enough to prove that our Lord has been favored by God and is the true emperor. With such a symbol of extraordinary significance, how can there be any reason to give it away? "
"Mi Jun has said that he is nothing more than a stone."
Guo Jia smiled slightly and said as if nothing had happened: "Where did God's favor and dragon's destiny come from? If this national jade seal is really so useful, why did Sun Jian fall so early? Where is Yuan Shu now?"
"How could Sun Ce be willing to use it in exchange for a mere two thousand troops?"
"This" Mi Fang was speechless for a moment.
"Even if the jade seal cannot represent destiny, there is no reason for me to give it to Yuan Shao for nothing."
Wang Zheng raised his eyebrows and said solemnly: "If this is the case, if this matter spreads out, won't the world think that I am really afraid of the Jizhou army? Yuan Shao will even think that I am weak and can be bullied, and he will take advantage of it. Today he dares to ask for the jade seal, and tomorrow he will
Doesn’t it have to be replaced by soldiers, horses, food, grass, and city territory?”
"Of course it's impossible to give it to me for nothing." Guo Jia shook his head and said, "My lord, let's think about it first, why is Yuan Shao so greedy for this national jade seal?"
"What's the point of thinking about this?" Wang Zheng snorted and sneered, "It's just that after defeating Gongsun Zan, he occupied Youzhou, and he was very high-spirited and arrogant. Hey, he just wanted to be the emperor like Yuan Shu, right?"
It is easy to deduce this. Yuan Shao himself did not approve of Emperor Xian from the beginning. In the second year of Chuping, Liu Yu wanted to support Han Dynasty clan, but Liu Yu refused to give up. Now his power
As it becomes more powerful, its ambitions will naturally increase.
This was also the case in original history. After Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor of Huainan in the second year of Jian'an, he was denounced by the world and rebelled against his relatives. When he was desperate, he wrote to Yuan Shao and "generously" expressed his willingness to give up the imperial title to Yuan Shao.
Yuan Shaodang
Although he didn't make it public at the time, he wanted it in his heart, and immediately asked Geng Bao, the chief registrar, to find a basis for him to become emperor.
Geng Bao then said, "Chide has declined. The Yuan family is a descendant of the Yellow Emperor and should follow the will of heaven and the will of the people."
The meaning of these sentences is that according to the "theory" of "the mutual development of five virtues", the Han Dynasty has the so-called fire virtue (i.e. red virtue), and the fire virtue must be replaced by earth virtue; the Yellow Emperor is the earth virtue, and the Yuan family is the descendant of the Yellow Emperor
Later generations, so it was "God's will" that the Yuan family replaced the Han Dynasty. Yuan Shao was overjoyed, and even if he made Geng Bao's remarks public, he hoped to gain the support of all the ministers.
Unexpectedly, the counselors from different camps unanimously opposed this time. Only then did Yuan Shao realize that the time was not yet ripe, so he gave up. He was even more worried that if the matter spread, the world would see his ambitions, so he directly handed over the blame.
He killed Geng Bao on the charge of "confused by evil words".
I have to say that Yuan Shao is indeed not as good as Yuan Shu in terms of being an open person.