Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Unfinished Dreams

Cao Cao is a person who loves talents very much. What a heinous villain, as long as he has talents, he is willing to adopt them.But he did not forgive Lu Bu who came to surrender.Even put to death, why? As Lu Bu boasted, as the commander of the cavalry corps, he did have extraordinary talents.But in fact, there is another young general who is also quite talented.This young man was always under Lu Bu's shadow, unable to make his mark, but the experienced Cao Cao had already seen this. ——This person is Lu Bu's general Zhang Liao. "With Zhang Liao, there is no need for Lu Bu."

This is Cao Cao's idea.Since then, Zhang Liao has been very active as a general of Cao Cao. Lu Bu was executed in December of the third year of Jian'an (AD 198).In the first month of the following year, another hero also disappeared from the stage of troubled times.This person is Gongsun Zan, who was beheaded by Yuan Shao. Yuan Shu disappeared next. Yuan Shu, who claimed to be the emperor, seemed to think that it was hard for him to become emperor, and if he didn't enjoy it well, he would not live up to this good job. ——The extravagance is very rich. From this record, we can know that he did gather hundreds of beauties and enjoy the pleasure of lust in the harem.The rice and meat that could not be eaten in the palace were allowed to rot, and one step out of the palace, even the emperor's capital Shouchun could see hungry people lying on the road everywhere.Dozens or hundreds of people starve to death every day.

Of course, Emperor Yuan Shu's extravagant life was not endless.Funds and food eventually ran out because of extravagance.As a last resort, he had no choice but to ask for help from his subordinates stationed there.However, the local general who was very angry at the master who was spending money without restraint said: ——The materials in this area are barely enough to raise soldiers, and there is really no spare power to please His Majesty the Emperor. They even put on an attitude that they would not hesitate to confront each other with force. "This kind of emperor is really incompetent. Under his rule, we will starve to death sooner or later. Let's run away!"

Yuan Shu's subordinates gradually left, and the Yuan Shu Dynasty really "disintegrated" in the end! "What should I do?" Yuan Shu, wandering between the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River, fell into hard thinking in order to break through the predicament.Since the first emperor, the word "zhen" has become the first-person pronoun exclusively used by emperors, but Yuan Shu is not quite used to using it. No matter how stupid he is, Yuan Shu also knows that he no longer has the essence of an emperor. "What should I do?" Yuan Shu changed his words and repeated what he said earlier.He was too ashamed to say the word "Zhen" again.A lonely "Zhen" with no subordinates - isn't this a joke?

"Okay, let's do it!" Yuan Shu finally had the determination to see through everything.Lacking the real title of emperor, the only way to give up is to give up, but after all, the title of emperor is not easy to come by. If you want to give it up to others, it is of course best to give it to your own people.Although the relationship is not very harmonious, but the half-brother Yuan Shao is a powerful person who controls the four states of Qingzhou, Jizhou, Youzhou and Bingzhou. The lord of Yangzhou ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor.In comparison, Yuan Shao's conditions are much stronger.

"If the throne is given to Yuan Shao..." Yuan Shu made a calculation in his heart. Yuan Shao is a person who pays great attention to the outside world.Therefore, he never dared to take such a treasonous act as usurping the Han Dynasty, but if this form was transferred through his half-brother Yuan Shu, maybe he would have the intention of enthroning.In this way, Yuan Shu, the Emperor of Zen, should also receive quite a courtesy.In addition, Yuan Shao had several sons, but because he doted on the youngest son born to his second wife, the relationship between the brothers was quite discordant.After Yuan Shao's death, if the issue of succession got out of hand, the "former emperor" Yuan Shu might have another chance to make his debut.Yuan Shu even considered this point.

——Tianlu has been in the Han Dynasty for a long time.The Yuan family received the destiny, and the auspicious signs are bright.My brother already owns millions of households in four states, please accept the mandate of heaven as the son of heaven. He wrote such a letter to Yuan Shao. After reading this letter, Yuan Shao thought to himself: "If you accept it rashly, the consequences will be worrisome..." Great rebellion-if history records itself like this, it will be a lifelong regret.If it fails, it will suffer even more notoriety.Of course the winner is king, but is there any chance of winning?

"It's best to think about it carefully." In short, Yuan Shu, holding the title of "Emperor", is wandering around.Yuan Shu must be contained. ——Take in the downcast clansmen. The name should make sense. As for how to deal with the title of "emperor" after Yuan's containment, we can leave it for later. ——Hurry up to meet Yuan Shu.Let him wander between the Jianghuai River like a beggar, which will affect the Yuan family's reputation. Yuan Shao ordered his son Yuan Tan to do so. The eldest son Yuan Tan ruled Qingzhou among the four states of the Yuan family, and Qingzhou was the closest to the place where Yuan Shu wandered.Yuan Tan then wrote to his uncle Yuan Shu, asking him to "come to Qingzhou immediately".

Although the journey from Shouchun to Qingzhou is not far, it must pass through Xuzhou on the way.In the past, Lu Bu, who ruled Xuzhou in the past, had been destroyed by Cao Cao. At this moment, Cao Cao's subordinate Che Zhou was stationed in Xuzhou as the governor (chief officer). "There is nothing to be afraid of the people of Che Zhou. Let's force it through!" Yuan Shu, who had regained his vitality a little due to being taken in, said so.In fact, his body was already plagued by serious diseases at this time, which was all thanks to his licentious life in the emperor's era.

——Yuan Tan of Qingzhou took Yuan Shu in. This information soon reached the ears of Cao Cao in Xudu. "I will not let the impotent fake emperor pass through my land easily!" Cao Cao decided to prevent Yuan Shu from going to Qingzhou. It is a bit uneasy to only rely on the chariots stationed in Xuzhou, because the chariots are really not good at fighting.In order to stop Yuan Shu, a new army and commander must be dispatched.Who is the most suitable to send?Since Xuzhou is to be used as the battlefield, of course someone who is familiar with Xuzhou's geography is ideal. "Yes! Liu Bei is the most suitable candidate. He is well versed in the geography of that area. Send Zhu Ling to cooperate with him!"

Due to the urgency of the situation, after Cao Cao made a decision, he asked the two commanders Liu Bei and Zhu Ling to send troops immediately. "It's not too late, before Yuan Shu arrives in Xuzhou, we must deploy there!" Cao Cao ordered so strictly. "Yes, follow orders, go immediately." Liu Bei replied sternly on the surface, but he snickered inwardly.He is a guest of honor, however, guest of honor is just a nice way of saying, in fact he is under house arrest.Being ordered to send troops this time is actually equivalent to getting a chance to escape. This luck is by no means a fluke, it should be the result of Liu Bei's own efforts.What kind of effort? ——Liu Bei is not a great person, nothing to be afraid of——He showed this to Cao Cao.It is not easy to do this. When thunder thundered, his face was pale and his whole body trembled, even the chopsticks he was holding fell off-this is his famous anecdote.In fact, this is Liu Bei's acting skills. Liu Bei's painstaking efforts were finally not in vain, and he was finally appointed to go to Xuzhou because of his familiarity with geography.Of course he had no intention of going back to Xudu, so after laughing, he felt relieved and urged his subordinates to step up their preparations and set off for Xuzhou soon. Guo Jia, who came back from a business trip across the Yellow River, heard about Liu Bei's dispatch of troops, and angrily said to his master Cao Cao in a reproachful tone: "What's going on? Isn't this the same as letting the tiger go back to the mountain?" "Tiger... you said Liu Bei was a tiger?" Cao Cao showed a surprised expression. "He's not just a tiger, he's an extremely cunning giant tiger! The lord will definitely regret this matter. Hurry up! Send an envoy to chase him back!" "Is it really that dangerous?" "He will definitely become our strong enemy!" Guo Jia shook his head and said. "So you have such a view..." After all, Cao Cao is a man with a broad vision.Ordinary leaders are centered on their own ideas, but Cao Cao will respect the ideas of others. "Guo Jia is a person with insight. His opinion proves that Liu Bei is definitely not an ordinary person..." Cao Cao has the measure to accept other people's opinions. "Okay, then send a special envoy immediately!" Cao Cao immediately sent envoys to pursue Liu Bei. ——Yuan Shu was dealt with by Zhu Ling alone.Because of an emergency in Xudu, Liu Bei was ordered to return immediately. The envoy carries an order document stating such will. But it was too late. Liu Bei, who had expected this to happen, led the army to Xuzhou as quickly as possible, but the special envoy returned empty-handed. "Didn't catch up with Liu Bei..." Cao Cao said to Guo Jia. "Even if he catches up, Liu Bei won't be able to come back obediently. This special envoy has saved his life. If he catches up, Liu Bei will definitely kill the special envoy." When Guo Jia said this, he frowned. "Will he?" "Of course Liu Bei will not be so stupid as to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity... In short, this is a big loss for us!" Guo Jia said with infinite regret. Since Liu Bei had already rushed to Xuzhou, Yuan Shu gave up the idea of ​​going to Qingzhou and returned to Shouchun.When he came to a place called Jiangting, Yuan Shu felt thirsty, so he ordered his subordinates to quench his thirst with honey juice. "Reporting to Your Majesty, there is no honey..." The subordinate answered with his head down.Due to long-term homelessness, not to mention honey, there is almost no food in storage.It's really self-inflicted, because they have been used to extracting from the people's family for a long time, when the people's family heard that Yuan Shu was coming, they hid all the food. "Hmm..." Yuan Shu was filled with emotion, and muttered, "I, Yuan Shu, can't even get a cup of honey..." He who once proclaimed himself emperor, fell into such a situation today, it is really embarrassing, he was so angry that the blood flowed backwards all over his body. "Mmm... um... um... um..." After Yuan Shu fell to the ground, he vomited a lot of blood and died on the spot. It is said that when his subordinates closed their eyes for him, he still refused to close his open eyes.The reason why Yuan Shu can't die with peace is probably because he still has unfinished dreams! Yuan Shu's survivors and close ministers helped the coffin to join Liu Xun, the prefect of Lujiang.Liu Xun used to be Yuan Shu's subordinate. The forces of Yuan Shu, who had occupied a corner of the troubled times and forced their way out, vanished in an instant.Because the enemy no longer exists, Cao Cao's generals Liu Bei and Zhu Ling, who were dispatched to Xuzhou, should return to Xudu after the mission is over.But of course Liu Bei didn't want to do this. "How about we kill him?" Liu Bei said. "Kill? Kill who?" Guan Yu asked. Liu Bei smiled wryly. "Guan Yu is indeed a good general, but it's a pity that his brain is not flexible enough..." Liu Bei's biggest regret is that he doesn't have anyone who can talk to him in one click - he has no advisers under his command. "I mean kill Che Zhou!" After finishing speaking, Liu Bei pursed his lips.Che Zhou was the prefect of Xuzhou appointed by Cao Cao.Liu Bei stayed in Xuzhou without returning to Xudu, which undoubtedly raised the flag of rebellion against Cao Cao.That being the case, why not make a surprise attack and kill Che Zhou before the opponent is ready. At present, Liu Bei's opponent is only Che Zhou.Such a thing can be imagined with a little thought, but Guan Yu can't do it.After listening to Liu Bei's words, he suddenly realized: "Kill Che Zhou? Oh, yes, this guy really should be killed!" Liu Bei raided Xiapi City in Xuzhou, which was an undefended city, and easily killed Che Zhou.That is to say, he successfully captured Xuzhou. "Xuzhou is mine!" Liu Bei held such an idea.This place was taken by Lu Bu and then by Cao Cao.Now it is finally back in the hands of its original owner. This is nothing more than retrieving lost property.But of course Cao Cao would not stand by and ignore it.Liu Bei also needs to have a proper countermeasure. Liu Bei then sent envoys to Yuan Shao to ask for an alliance! If Cao Cao raised his troops to attack Liu Bei, there would be a risk of Yuan Shao's surprise attack behind him.Therefore, it will be difficult for him to launch an offensive with all his strength.It was Liu Bei's strategy to keep him in this state. Sure enough, Cao Cao ordered Liu Dai and Wang Zhong to attack Liu Bei, but they did not send many soldiers.As a result, Liu Bei repelled the crusade army.During the confrontation, Liu Bei once shouted to the enemy camp: "I'm not afraid of a hundred people like you! You'd better go back and ask Mr. Cao to lead the army himself! Ha! Ha!"