Chapter 3 2. The glory of the white horse is wasted

"What are the six kingdoms? I want to lead Qin's iron cavalry to conquer a large territory!" Qin Shihuang fulfilled this line in the movie with practical actions. In 222 BC, the Qin army captured Liaodong.In the following year, Qin unified the country and divided the country into 36 counties, and Xiangping became the county seat of Liaodong.Liaodong was naturally placed under the jurisdiction of the Great Wall by the talented and powerful Qin Shihuang, and it has also become a place of contention between successive dynasties and the surrounding forces on the northeast border. However, Qin Shihuang failed to realize the dream of the Great Qin Empire for thousands of years, and the powerful Qin army did not have time to set out from Liaodong to conquer a wider territory.Qin II died and was replaced by Han.The Han Dynasty not only inherited all the laws and regulations of the Qin Dynasty, but also continued to build and strengthen the Great Wall on the basis of the Qin Dynasty to fight against the increasingly powerful Huns in the north.

The main range of activities of the Xiongnu was in the Mongolian grasslands, and the war between the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu was also mainly concentrated in the middle section of the Great Wall, which is now Hebei, Shanxi, and northern Shaanxi.In order to contain the Xiongnu and consolidate the flanks of the capital Chang'an, the Han Dynasty focused its expansion on the northwest, and made great efforts to capture Hexi, control the Western Regions, and open up the overland Silk Road that stretched thousands of miles and connected the East and the West. The attitude of the Han Dynasty towards Liaodong is basically as long as it can hold it and prevent it from falling out of the jurisdiction of the central government.The government of the Han Dynasty also had objective reasons for doing so: Liaodong was still relatively backward at that time, and there were dozens or hundreds of Hu tribes, large and small, living inside and outside.These tribes do not belong to each other, their forces are relatively weak, and they are relatively obedient to the Central Plains regime, so it is difficult to pose a fatal threat.

It is under such circumstances that the central government does not care about it and the local government cannot control it. The economy and culture of the Liaodong region have developed to a certain extent, and the surrounding ethnic minorities have also developed and grown.At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the world was in chaos, and all the heroes rose together. The people in the Central Plains were unbearable and went to Liaodong to seek refuge.For the first time in Liaodong, which is located in the northeast border, several larger forces coexisted and wrestled.Among these forces, Donghu, Gongsun, and Goguryeo are the most powerful.

Donghu is the collective name of various nomadic tribes living in Northeast China. They have lived in Liaodong since the pre-Qin period; the Gongsun clan is the largest force of the Han nationality in Liaodong; and Goguryeo is the oldest and most tenacious ethnic group in Liaodong. Please note that the Goguryeo here is not Goryeo, but an ancient ethnic minority in China, which has nothing to do with the later Goryeo regime and the Goryeo nation on the Korean Peninsula.This Goguryeo rose in the Han Dynasty, rose in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and finally became the confidant of the Sui and Tang Dynasties.I am willing to give it a name that does not sound good - Xiaoqiang.

Around the control of Liaodong, various forces launched a thrilling competition.There is no winner, no end to this contest, and it has become more and more complicated. It is the starting point of the nearly two thousand years of struggle for hegemony in Northeast Asia, and it is also the epitome of the fierce conflict of civilizations in Northeast Asia. Now, let’s get down to business, let’s talk about the local tyrant of Liaodong in the late Eastern Han Dynasty—the Gongsun family. Students who have played the game "Three Kingdoms" know that at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, in northern China, there were two Gongsuns, one was the white horse general Gongsun Zan who occupied Youzhou, and the other was Gongsun Du who occupied Liaodong.Of these two people, one was brave enough, Zhao Yun had been Gongsun Zan's younger brother back then; the other was tough enough, a small Liaodong, and even ruled behind the mighty Wei State.

However, whether it is strength or fame, Gongsun Zan is far above Gongsun Du.As the saying goes, strong steel is easy to break. Although Gongsun Zan is very fierce, his brain is not strong enough, his vision and judgment are not good enough, so he was killed by Yuan Shao very early, but Gongsun Du and his descendants are at ease in the remote Liaodong. Decades—if counting from 189 AD (the sixth year of Zhongping in the Eastern Han Dynasty), Gongsun Dujing’s fellow villager Xu Rong was recommended by Dong Zhuo as the governor of Liaodong, until 238 AD (the second year of Jingchu of Emperor Wei Ming) when Gongsun Yuan was defeated Killed, Gongsun's rule in Liaodong lasted for nearly half a century, longer than Wei State (220-265 AD) and Shu State (221-263 AD). A small miracle.

So, who is Gongsun Du, and how did he and his brothers and grandchildren gain a firm foothold in the small Liaodong during the turbulent years of war, and then became the overlord of Northeast Asia? I have always been curious about the relationship between Gongsun Zan and Gongsun Du.Are the two related?Regarding this point, "Three Kingdoms · Wei Shu" records that Gongsun Zan was from Lingzhi in Western Liaoning (now Qian'an, Hebei), and Gongsun Du was from Xiangping in Eastern Liaoning (now Liaoyang, Liaoning).It can be seen that the places of birth of the two are not too far apart, and both have the surname Gongsun. Even if they are not directly related, they may be distantly related.

Youzhou occupied by Gongsun Zan and Liaodong occupied by Gongsun Du were both under the jurisdiction of Yan State during the Warring States Period, and were under the jurisdiction of Youzhou in the Han Dynasty. If the two were not relatives, then Gongsun Zan could definitely enter Liaodong when he was strong and lay a solid foundation for himself. rear.Some people think that the reason why Gongsun Zan didn't attack Liaodong was because he let Gongsun Du go because of his kinship.Some people also said that Gongsun Zan was the illegitimate son of a romantic senior in the Gongsun family. Because his mother's status was not very good, she didn't get to recognize her ancestors and return to her clan. .

This is very important, precisely because of the humble status of his mother, even though Gongsun Zan is also surnamed Gongsun, he has never gained any benefits from the word "Gongsun".If he doesn't mention it himself, no one else will be able to verify it.His life experience and his relationship with Gongsun Du became a mystery.Whether or not Gongsun Zan was an illegitimate child has no way of research, but it is absolutely true that Gongsun Du relied on his family power to rise to the top; while Gongsun Zan stepped onto the historical stage step by step relying entirely on his own talent and hard work.

Gold will always shine.According to the records of "Three Kingdoms", Gongsun Zan is not only tall and handsome, with a loud voice, but also witty and eloquent, and has good handling ability.Such an outstanding young man will be appreciated by his superiors no matter where he is placed.His immediate boss Hou Taishou not only betrothed his daughter to Gongsun Zan, but also asked him to study and study with Lu Zhi, a famous scholar at the time and a famous official in the late Han Dynasty.After returning from advanced studies, Gongsun Zan was elected as a high-ranking county official, and was also reused by his successor Chief Liu Taishou.Later, Liu Taishou was sent to Nichinan (now central Vietnam, a barren land at that time) for breaking the law.

It stands to reason that Liu Taishou broke the law and had nothing to do with Gongsun Zan. He can continue to be his county official, and if he is lucky, he can fill a vacancy and be elected as an official like the county magistrate.But at this time, Gongsun Zan showed his uniqueness-he decided to escort Liu Taishou to Rinan!From Youzhou (Beijing) to Nichinan (Vietnam), it was undoubtedly a arduous and dangerous task when the transportation and accommodation conditions were not developed at that time, and there were constant disturbances in various places.But Gongsun Zan did not hesitate, and he still committed crimes against the wind—according to the provisions of the law of the Han Dynasty, if the chief officer violated the law, his subordinates were not allowed to accompany the prison car.But Gongsun Zan refused, and disguised himself as an ordinary servant, carrying Liu Taishou's daily necessities, and just set off behind the escorting convoy. Gongsun Zan also knew that this crime was more serious than good, so before leaving, he went back to his hometown, knelt in front of his ancestor's grave and said, "I was a descendant of Gongsun's family, but now I am someone else's subordinate. I should follow Taishou Liu. Go to Rinan. The miasma in Rinan is pervasive, and I'm afraid I won't be able to return after this trip. Loyalty and filial piety cannot be fulfilled, so Gongsun Zan bid farewell to his ancestors." After speaking, he cried and kowtowed to his ancestors a few times, got up and left generously .When the onlookers saw this scene, they were all moved by Gongsun Zan's loyalty. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Chinese people liked to do one thing, which was to judge others.Over time, a social atmosphere has formed.To put it bluntly, it is to appreciate and comment on a certain person, similar to various collection programs; to put it bluntly, it is to comment on other people's appearance, talent, character, and gossip when you are full.Of course, people with ugly looks and bad character will not be smashed with a hammer on the spot like those fakes. It's handsome.However, at that time, if a person wanted to become a figure, stand out, enter the high society, and be recognized by the public, he had to obtain a character appraisal from a famous connoisseur. For example, Cao Cao is very capable, but he has a bad background.A senior official named Qiao Xuan admired him very much, so he advised Cao Cao to go to see Xu Shao.Xu Shao was a well-known connoisseur at that time. Every month on the first day of the lunar new year, he would comment on the famous people at that time and hold a meeting to comment on people.Since the conference is held regularly on the first day of each month, it is also called Yuedan Ping. Soon, Cao Cao went to find Xu Shao.But after Xu Shao saw Cao Cao, he refused to express his opinion. I don't know if he didn't like Cao Cao, or because he felt that this young man was really difficult to judge, so he refused to give a word.Cao Cao is also a person who will not die until the Yellow River, so he thought of a way (probably not some legitimate means, such as setting fire to your whole family if you don't say anything), to force Xu Shao to express his opinion.Xu Shao was forced to be helpless, so he left a comment that can be called a classic handed down from generation to generation: "A capable minister who governs the world, and a traitor in a troubled world." Angry, instead he laughed and went back contentedly.And Cao Cao's life also confirmed Xu Shao's classic comment.It can be seen that Xu Shao still has some skills in face-to-face fortune-telling. Even people like Cao Cao are not exempt, let alone others.In order to win praise and gain a good reputation for themselves, many people did a lot of absurd things at that time: some people ignored their old father and let him live a life of hunger and cold, but they were praised as filial piety; With a name of "filial piety", he lived in front of his mother's grave for five years, but secretly engaged in the business of male robbers and female prostitutes... We don't know whether Gongsun Zan's move to follow Liu Taishou to the south was influenced by the social atmosphere at that time, but this move did win him a great reputation, and it was a good reputation.Soon, his fame spread to the court.A small county official was able to brave hardships and resolutely die generously for his superiors. Isn't such a spiritual character worthy of special mention?As a result, laws and regulations were thrown aside, and friendship was praised to the sky.On the way Gongsun Zan followed the prison car team to the south, Liu Taishou was pardoned by the court because of his righteous deeds; and Gongsun Zan was recommended to be filial and honest, became a Langguan, and was appointed as the long history of Liaodong.A young idol with both talent and affection stepped onto the stage of history. Gongsun Zan made his fortune earlier than Gongsun Du, and his growth was inseparable from the corruption of the government, the intensification of social conflicts, and the rise of local forces in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.In Youzhou, where Gongsun Zan lives, there are many ethnic minority tribes in the territory, especially Wuhuan and Xianbei, which have already posed a serious threat to the security of Youzhou.Heroes are born in troubled times. It was in the battle against Wuhuan and Xianbei that Gongsun Zan continued to accumulate prestige and expand his strength by virtue of his military exploits, and formed a powerful personal army——Baima Yicong.This army has two major characteristics: one is all cavalry, and the other is that all soldiers' war horses are all white horses.And it was Gongsun Zan, who commanded them to fight, was the heroic and masculine beauty.The love of beauty has existed since ancient times. It is not difficult to imagine how the local women, young and old, in Youzhou will look at them with envy whenever this army is dispatched. Facts have proved that Gongsun Zan's troops are not only handsome, but also very capable of fighting.In the process of suppressing the large-scale peasant uprisings that broke out in the Central Plains of Hebei and other places, Gongsun Zan led his white horse cavalry with majesty and power, and made great military exploits. It stands to reason that this time should be a great opportunity for Gongsun Zan to expand his strength and occupy the entire territory of Youzhou.But in fact, Gongsun Zan not only failed to free up his hands to attack Liaodong, even in Youzhou, he could not have the final say; has also been seriously questioned.What made Gongsun Zan so depressed?It's very simple, because in Youzhou, there is another man with higher prestige and strength than him.This person is not only good at managing politics, but also a diplomatic genius. Not only has he stabilized the situation in Youzhou, even the surrounding minorities, large and small, admire him. This outstanding man was Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou who was in charge of the northern military affairs at that time. If you choose the first script in the "Three Kingdoms" game, you will find Liu Yu. Liu Yu, courtesy name Bo'an, was born in Tan County, East China Sea (now Sheng County, Zhejiang Province).Compared with Liu Bei who is selling dog meat with sheep's tricks, Liu Yu is truly Uncle Liu Huang.Although Liu Yu, like Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Liu Biao, Liu Zhang and others, belonged to the children of high-ranking cadres, he did not have the slightest dandyism of the children of the nobles. Start as a small official, work diligently and love the people in office. During his tenure as the magistrate of Boping County, there were also such rumors: At that time, locust plagues occurred in several surrounding counties, but when the locusts flew to the border of Boping, they bypassed them and did not enter.It can be seen that locusts also have foresight-they will not go to places governed by good officials; wherever there are corrupt officials, they will fly there.Regardless of the authenticity of this rumor, it at least shows that Liu Yu's outstanding talent has been recognized by the world and has been widely spread. Due to his outstanding political achievements, Liu Yu successively held important positions such as Shangshuling, Guangluxun, and Zongzheng. He was the most outstanding politician in the Eastern Han royal family at that time. Good steel is used on the blade. Liu Yu was sent by Emperor Ling of Han Dynasty to serve as the governor of Youzhou because of his incorruptibility and outstanding achievements.At that time, Youzhou was in constant war and there were many ethnic conflicts. It was not a good job at all, but there was a possibility of losing one's life at any time.Liu Yu is different from Liu Yan and Liu Biao. He did not choose the southern states and counties that are far away from the war and easy to expand his strength. Instead, he resolutely accepted the appointment of Emperor Hanling and went to Youzhou to take up his post.Unexpectedly, this trip turned out to be the last journey in the life of this outstanding politician. After coming to Youzhou, a place with internal and external difficulties, Liu Yu's talent has been brought into full play.His political achievements are mainly manifested in two aspects: one is internal affairs, and the other is foreign affairs.Everything a civil servant can do, he does well.Not great, but very good. First look at the internal affairs: Liu Yu knew very well that the common people's demands were not high, as long as they had enough to eat and lived a stable life, they would not rebel.Therefore, during his tenure as governor of Youzhou, Liu Yu focused on the development of agriculture and sericulture.If agriculture is developed, the people will have something to eat; if sericulture is planted, the people will have clothes to wear.It is not enough to solve the problem of food and clothing, but also to make the common people and the government rich. If the common people have money, they will trust and support the government;Therefore, Liu Yu actively encouraged the common people to trade with the Xiongnu, Wuhuan, Xianbei and other ethnic minorities in the Shanggu area, and at the same time organized manpower to develop the salt and iron resources in Yuyang County.After Liu Yu's management, Youzhou not only lost the title of remote and poor, but also became one of the wealthiest regions in the north.There are millions of people who went to Youzhou to settle from the turbulent Qingzhou and Xuzhou.Liu Yuyi changed the extravagant style of the scholar-bureaucrats in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and won the unanimous support of the gentry and common people in Youzhou with his diligence, frugality, pragmatism and tolerance. Even Dong Zhuo tried his best to win over this prestigious important minister of the royal family. Let's look at diplomacy: In 187 A.D. (the fourth year of Zhongping, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty), Zhang Chun, the former prefect of Zhongshan, and Qiu Liju, the leader of Wuhuan, launched a rebellion and plundered the four prefectures of You, Ji, Qing, and Xu.When it comes to dealing with ethnic issues, Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan's attitudes are diametrically opposed-Gongsun Zan advocates aggressive suppression, while Liu Yu advocates appeasement. After the rebellion broke out, Gongsun Zan immediately led his own cavalry to attack, and defeated Zhang Chun, Qiu Liju and others in a place called Shimen.Zhang Chun abandoned his wife and fled into Xianbei in embarrassment.Gongsun Zan continued to pursue, but was surrounded by Qiu Liju in Guanzi City in western Liaoning. He was trapped for more than 200 days, and most of the soldiers were killed or injured.Qiu Liju was also exhausted and had no choice but to leave Liucheng. Liu Yu felt that Gongsun Zan's method of using violence to control violence was not a long-term solution.While Gongsun Zan was fighting bloody battles with the enemy, Liu Yu also began to implement his own diplomatic strategy.He sent envoys to appease Qiu Liju and others. At the same time, knowing his interests, he ordered them to present Zhang Chun's head.Qiu Liju and the others had admired Liu Yu's name for a long time, and when they learned that Liu Yu wanted to appease them, they sent envoys to Youzhou one after another, expressing their willingness to join him.While beating hard, they sent people to appease them. If Gongsun Zan and Liu Yu could work together, this strategy of stick and carrot might be able to better solve the problem of border troubles in Youzhou. But Gongsun Zan refused to accept Liu Yu.And who would like to fight the enemy away with all his might, but let others take credit for his own merits with a single lip service?I don't want to change it.This is human nature, but it can also be seen that Gongsun Zan has a broad-minded vision-he only cares about the immediate achievements, but he does not see the benefits of appease Wuhuan. Gongsun Zan's refusal to accept Liu Yu may have a deeper reason, and that is his background.What is Liu Yu's background?royal.Either direct or offshoot.What is Gongsun Zan's background?The illegitimate child... Well, if he is really the illegitimate child of the Gongsun family, then what he hates the most is not the Hu family who repeatedly offended the border, but those noble children who came from famous families and were born with golden keys in their mouths.Generally speaking, those who came from the bottom and climbed up through their own hard work have a natural hostility towards the children of wealthy families.Unfortunately, those who stand in the way of Gongsun Zan's success are all people like this: Liu Yu, Yuan Shao, and Gongsun Du who is far away in Liaodong. Therefore, Gongsun Zan did not like them. what to do?Gongsun Zan decided to make trouble.He secretly sent someone to assassinate the envoy of the Hu tribe on the way, in an attempt to prevent Wuhuan from communicating with Liu Yu.But things didn't work out, the more Gongsun Zan made trouble, the more Qiu Liju and the others felt that Liu Yu was a good man, so they sent people to do everything possible to bypass Gongsun Zan's residence and go to Liu Yu's place to express their willingness to surrender. Liu Yu's Huairou policy greatly stabilized the situation in the north.Youzhou stabilized, and Liu Yu's prestige reached its peak.But what about Gongsun Zan?In return for the bloody battle, Liu Yu was wary and suppressed.After the Wuhuan rebellion was put down, Liu Yu worried that Gongsun Zan was too powerful, so he reported to the court to abolish the garrison, leaving only more than ten thousand Buqi stationed in Youbeiping, under the jurisdiction of Gongsun Zan.At this time, Gongsun Zan was not only unable to get a foothold in Liaodong, but even Youzhou's chassis was almost eaten away, and his hatred for Liu Yu was getting deeper and deeper--if Liu Yu didn't die, there would be no day for me, Gongsun Zan! The opportunity came. In 191 A.D. (the second year of Chuping of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty), the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army gathered 300,000 people to attack Bohai Sea, intending to join Heishan Army in Hebei.Gongsun Zan once again got a chance to flex his muscles.Gongsun Zan led 20,000 troops on foot and rode south to quell the rebellion. He defeated the Qingzhou Army and beheaded more than 30,000 soldiers. At this time, the situation in the Central Plains was also changing. In 189 AD, Dong Zhuo led his troops to control Luoyang and the Eastern Han Dynasty; in 190 AD, under the initiative of Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, the 18 princes challenged Dong Zhuo together, and staged a battle of warming wine and killing Huaxiong, and three heroes fighting Lu Bu in front of Hulao Pass. 's good show.After the war, the coalition forces dispersed, and Dong Zhuo also moved the capital to Chang'an with Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, and burned Luoyang. In the spring of the following year, Yuan Shao, Han Fu and other Kwantung warlords were not reconciled to the emperor being held hostage by Dong Zhuo, so they planned to support Liu Yu as emperor.If Liu Yu was an ambitious person and then accepted the support of Yuan Shao and others, perhaps the history of the end of Han Dynasty would be rewritten, and the situation of the three kingdoms would not appear. Liu Yu refused, even though he had the qualifications and ability.As an important minister of the Han clan, it is impossible for him to accept such a rebellious suggestion; but he knows very well that the world is already full of heroes. Set the chaos and work hard.Therefore, Liu Yu refused to become emperor, but still maintained a good relationship with Yuan Shao and others. At the same time, Emperor Han Xian who was far away in Chang'an couldn't bear Dong Zhuo's control and wanted to escape back to Luoyang.At that time, Liu He, Liu Yu's son, happened to be serving as a servant next to Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty sent Liu He to leave Chang'an in disguise, and asked Liu He to invite Liu Yu to lead his troops.Since Tongguan Avenue was guarded by Dong Zhuo's soldiers, Liu He detoured through Wuguan and went east via Nanyang.When passing Yuan Shu's residence (Yuan Shu was stationed in Nanyang and Huaixi at that time), Liu He made a fatal mistake-he told Yuan Shu the emperor's intention to return east.Liu He naively thought that Yuan Shu was a loyal minister, but he didn't expect Yuan Shu to be an out-and-out careerist.As soon as Yuan Shu heard that the emperor was going to return to the east, he immediately came up with the idea of ​​"holding the emperor to order the princes". He asked Liu He to write a letter to Liu Yu, and asked Liu Yu to lead the army south to serve as Yuan Shu's backup. The two led the army together. Chang'an "rescue you". It is undeniable that Liu Yu is a loyal and capable minister. His specialty is conspiracy and grand schemes, not conspiracies and scheming. He actually agreed with Han Xiandi's naive and naive escape plan, and planned to implement it immediately. action. At this time, a person stood up and advised Liu Yu not to trust Yuan Shu and ignore them at all.This person is Gongsun Zan. It stands to reason that Gongsun Zan hated Liu Yu, and when he saw that Liu Yu was about to do something stupid, he should have stood on the sidelines and waited until Liu Yu led his army south to take the opportunity to annex Liu Yu's territory.But Gongsun Zan stood up, so it doesn't make sense. If we change the angle, it will be easier to explain Gongsun Zan's actions.First of all, although Liu Yu is loyal and pedantic, he is not a fool. In name, he is still Gongsun Zan's superior, so he can let Gongsun Zan lead the army south with him, use him as cannon fodder, or take the opportunity to deprive him of his military power. In short, as long as Gongsun Zan is allowed to leave You Beiping, it will be much easier to deal with him.Secondly, Gongsun Zan is not a fool, he has suffered from Liu Yu's losses, so he will not be so stupid as to be Liu Yu's pawn, and the final credit is due to Liu Yu and his son.In the end, Gongsun Zan, also a warlord, knew very well that Yuan Shu had small plans.Therefore, Gongsun Zan dissuaded Liu Yu mainly for his own sake, and by the way, to be a good person. But Liu Yu refused to listen, and still sent people south to contact Yuan Shu, which failed Gongsun Zan's "good intentions". Gongsun Zan was worried that Yuan Shu would instigate his cousin Yuan Shao to send troops north to attack him after knowing that he was discouraging Liu Yu from going south, so he did not stop doing two things. He sent his cousin Gongsun Yue to lead more than a thousand cavalry to Yuan Shu's place to do public relations, and secretly asked Yuan Shu to detain Liu Yu. And, also included Liu He's entourage.After Liu Yu learned that Gongsun Zan had sabotaged Emperor Xian's escape plan, he hated him even more.The bond between the two became deeper and deeper. Soon, Yuan Shu sent Gongsun Yue to help Sun Jian attack Zhou Ang, and Gongsun Yue died of a stray arrow.Gongsun Zan was furious and turned his anger on Yuan Shao, so he led his army to Panhe, intending to attack Yuan Shao.Yuan Shao considered that he had just annexed Han Fu's territory and his foundation in Jizhou was not yet solid, so he appointed Gongsun Zan's cousin, Gongsun Fan, as the prefect of Bohai, hoping to stabilize Gongsun Zan.Unexpectedly, Gongsun Fan left Yuan Shao immediately after he took office, and led the army of Bohai County to join Gongsun Zan, and defeated the Yellow Turban Army again.At this time, Gongsun Zan had completely got rid of Liu Yu's control, and successively appointed Yan Gang as Jizhou Mu, Tian Kai as Qingzhou Mu, Shan Jing as Yanzhou Mu, and the entire Youzhou and eastern Jizhou were within his sphere of influence, becoming a veritable state. "Bohai Rim" overlord. The situation in the north at that time was: Liu Yu occupied the west of Youzhou, Gongsun Zan occupied Youzhou and the east of Jizhou, Yuan Shao occupied the west of Jizhou, and Gongsun Du occupied Liaodong.Among the four families, Gongsun Du is the weakest, and the other three are of equal strength, presenting a tripartite force in the Hebei region. Among them, Gongsun Zan's troops have the strongest combat effectiveness and have the strategic initiative.However, next, Gongsun Zan did not attack the weakest Gongsundu and take down the vast rear of Liaodong, but led his army southward to compete with Yuan Shao. So, why didn't Gongsun Zan take Liaodong, but rushed to fight the rising Yuan Shao? First of all, "Chasing the Central Plains" is still the first choice for people in that era to become famous.Although Gongsun Zan made his fortune in the borderlands, his activities were mainly concentrated in the Hebei and Shandong areas, and it was his inertia to go south to fight for the front. Secondly, the Yellow Turban Army was rampant in Hebei and Shandong, and the crusade and incorporation of the Yellow Turban Army became a shortcut for the various princes to expand their strength in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Whoever can occupy the area where the Yellow Turban Army is active will have sufficient population and military resources. With this in mind. Thirdly, compared with Liu Yu, Yuan Shao's rise made Gongsun Zan even more worried. He couldn't just sit back and watch Yuan Shao snatch territory and expand his power under his nose, and he had to beat him hard before he grew stronger. In the end, Liaodong was still a remote place at that time, with an underdeveloped economy and culture, so they would consider taking refuge in Liaodong only when they were desperate.There are many Hu people in Liaodong, and the forces of various factions are intertwined. Sending troops to capture and capture not only cannot obtain direct benefits, but may also fall into endless ethnic disputes.Gongsun Zan had tens of thousands of elite soldiers in his hands, so naturally he would not take the initiative to go there. Therefore, Gongsun Zan chose to go south instead of east, not only out of practical considerations, but also indirectly sold his favor to Gongsun Du - after I deal with Yuan Shao and others to unify the north, Gongsun Du will naturally come to surrender. In 192 AD (the third year of Chuping of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty), Yuan Shao stationed his army in Guangchuan (now northeast of Zaoqiang County, Hebei Province), and the Battle of Jieqiao, which determined the hegemony of Hebei, broke out.But the result of the war was beyond most people's expectations—Gongsun Zan, who was able to recruit and fight well, was defeated, and he was defeated so badly that he had to flee to Ji County (now Daxing, Beijing) to protect himself.After this battle, Yuan Shao established his position as the overlord of Hebei. The next year, Liu Yu sent 100,000 troops to fight against Gongsun Zan because he was worried about Gongsun Zan's rebellion.Liu Yu also had good reasons for attacking Gongsun Zan: first, Gongsun Zan was self-respecting and disobedient to discipline; second, as long as Gongsun Zan was alive, his policy of national reconciliation could not be realized; third, Gongsun Zan destroyed Han Xiandi's escape plan. It can be seen that Liu Yu was very angry and the consequences were serious.However, this serious consequence has to be borne by Liu Yu himself. Although Gongsun Zan's main force was defeated by Yuan Shao, his army was still capable of fighting; although Liu Yu's army had 100,000 men, he was a civil servant and did not understand military affairs. After attacking Jixian for a long time, the morale was low.This gave Gongsun Zan a chance to counterattack.A few days later, Gongsun Zan personally led an elite army of hundreds of people, rushed out of the city, set fire to the wind, and broke Liu Yu's camp in one fell swoop.Liu Yu's army was defeated, and the 100,000 army fell apart.Liu Yu led the rest of his troops to flee to Juyong County (now east of Yanqing County, Beijing).Gongsun Zan assembled the old army, broke through Juyong City in just 3 days, captured Liu Yu's family alive, and returned to Ji County. At this time, Dong Zhuo had been killed by Lu Bu. Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty sent an envoy Duan Xun to reward Liu Yu, and promoted Gongsun Zan to be a former general and Marquis of Yi, hoping that the two would work together to protect the peace of the north.I don't want Gongsun Zan to bite back, falsely accuse Liu Yu and Yuan Shao of colluding to become emperor, and force Duan Xun to execute Liu Yu's family.Before Liu Yu was killed, Gongsun Zan walked up to him hypocritically and said, "If you should be the emperor, God will save you with heavy rain." But it was midsummer and it didn't rain all day.Liu Yu's family was killed. Liu Yu's death was a huge loss to the Eastern Han Dynasty.Looking at the clan, whether it is Liu Yan, Liu Biao, or Liu Bei, none of them have Liu Yu's qualifications and talents, let alone Liu Yu's noble character and determination to serve the country without hesitation. Fan Ye, a historian of the Southern Dynasties, commented on Liu Yu in this way: Xiangben Lide, Weicheng Yanbei; benevolence can negotiate, loyal to defend the country. The sixteen simple characters are the portrayal of Liu Yu's life. Liu Yu's death allowed Gongsun Zan to realize his long-cherished wish to seize the entire Youzhou.However, what awaited Gongsun Zan was an unexpected disaster. In 195 A.D. (the second year of Xingping of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty), Xian Yufu, Qi Zhou, Xian Yuyin and others from Liu Yu's old department jointly elected Yan Rou as Wuhuan Sima and raised troops to avenge Liu Yu.The official history has only a few words about Yan Rou, but Yan Rou is a character with a legendary experience. Yan Rou was kidnapped by Xianbei and Wuhuan cavalry when she was very young.The Xianbei and Wuhuan people did not kill him, but fostered him in the tribe.On the vast grassland, Yan Rou has developed a whole body of skills. He is bold and heroic, so he won the trust of Xianbei and Wuhuan people, and was also appreciated by Liu Yu.After Xian Yufu, Qi Zhou, Xian Yuyin and others made an incident, Yan Rou recruited tens of thousands of Wuhuan, Xianbei, and Liu Yu's former Han troops to declare war on Gongsun Zan, defeated Gongsun Zan's army in Luhebei, and beheaded Zou Dan, the prefect of Yuyang. At this time, Gongsun Zan was surrounded by enemies: to the north was the Wuhuan and Xianbei coalition led by Yan Rou; to the south was his old rival Yuan Shao; to the east was Gongsundu who had always ignored him; Guangyang, Shanggu and other places also raised troops to respond.Bad popularity means life is hard, and it was too late for Gongsun Zan to regret it. Soon, the Wuhuan and Xianbei allied forces welcomed back Liu Yu's son Liu He, and Yuan Shao also responded positively, sending General Qu Yi to help in the battle. The 100,000 allied army defeated Gongsun Zan's army again in Baoqiu, beheading more than 20,000.Gongsun Zan was defeated again and again, so he had to flee back to Yijing (northwest of Xiongxian County, Hebei Province today) and build a strong city to defend it. In 198 AD (the third year of Emperor Jian'an of the Han Dynasty), Yuan Shao wrote to Gongsun Zan to reconcile.This was originally a good opportunity to get out of the predicament, but Gongsun Zan just ignored it.Yuan Shao was furious and attacked the city with his army. Gongsun Zan's battalions outside Yijing surrendered one after another.Gongsun Zan was isolated and helpless, so he had to send his son Gongsun Xu to ask for help from the Black Mountain Yellow Turban Army.In March of the following year, Zhang Yan and Gongsun continued to lead an army of 100,000 troops to assist Yi Jing in three ways.Gongsun Zan was overjoyed, and quickly sent someone to send a letter to Gongsun Xu, agreeing to set fire to respond, and attack Yuan Shao internally and externally.Unexpectedly, this crucial letter was intercepted by Yuan Shao's people.If people are unlucky, they will clog their teeth if they drink cold water. The torches were raised outside the city as scheduled, and Gongsun Zan thought that reinforcements had arrived, so he led his army out of the city to meet them.Gongsun Zan never expected that it was Yuan Shao's ambush soldiers who raised the torches, not the reinforcements!Gongsun Zan fought bloody battles, broke through the siege, and retreated to the city again to hold his ground.While Yuan Shao commanded the army to attack the city, he sent people to dig tunnels into the city.Seeing that the situation was over, Gongsun Zan killed his wife and children and set himself on fire. A generation of famous generals died in this way. From Qiu Liju's rebellion in 187 to his defeat in 198, Gongsun Zan was active in Hebei for 12 years.In the past 12 years, the focus of the war in the Hebei area of ​​Youzhou was all on Gongsun Zan. The reason why the stories of Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan are told together is because they embody two diametrically opposed attitudes towards life: Liu Yu is a gentleman, and Gongsun Zan is a tyrant.Gentlemen always want to solve problems through moral means. Although they have high moral character and outstanding abilities, a gentleman in a troubled world will inevitably fail because of insisting on his ideals.Therefore, Confucius said, a gentleman is poor.The word poor, put here, means the end of the road.Tyrant, on the other hand, always wants to solve problems through strength and force.But Confucius also said that force can solve some problems, but not all problems.Gongsun Zan's failure began when his relationship with Liu Yu deteriorated. When he killed Liu Yu with sarcasm, he was doomed. Liu Yu died, and so did Gongsun Zan.Of the four northern powers, only two remained.In the near future, one of them will also be wiped out by another force from the Central Plains.Whether it was the battle between Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan, or the decisive battle in the Central Plains and Hebei a few years later, people seem to have forgotten one person.This person is Gongsun Du who is far away in Liaodong. Gongsun Du watched everything that happened coldly—Gongsun Zan was just a barrier for him; the more trouble Gongsun Zan made, the safer Liaodong would be; all Gongsun Zan did was making wedding clothes for himself.Gongsun Zan knew it, but he didn't know how he would feel.