Chapter 411 Qingbei's Choice
After the war in the Central Plains ended, the overall situation in the world became extremely clear in the eyes of people of insight.
Tian Chengshou's overall situation is stable and he is completely invincible. There is no possibility of him being defeated for at least a hundred years.
The five great princes were in decline, and would most likely be annexed in the future. At the very least, the Central Plains would definitely not be able to be defended, and it would be difficult to rely on the natural barrier to divide the river with Tian Chengshou.
Since the First Emperor, in the eyes of the people of the world, unifying the world is the inevitable trend and no one can stop it.
In such a situation, the mentality of many people has completely changed.
What Xun Chen was most worried about finally happened.
"My Lord, some people have suggested abandoning the northern part of Qingzhou, relocating the population, relying on the southern side of Mount Tai, and defending the southern part of Qingzhou."
The war had just stopped when Ju Su said to Yuan Shao.
"A lot?" Yuan Shao asked with a calm and seemingly nonchalant expression.
Ju Su's expression was slightly gloomy: "There are quite a few."
"My lord, these people are short-sighted and traitors. I beg you to kill them!" Shen Pei, who was standing by, said angrily after hearing this.
An inch of mountains and rivers, an inch of blood.
These people actually wanted to hand over the foundation that they had fought so hard to build. This undoubtedly touched Shen Pei's reverse scale.
"My lord, these people didn't say this when we were fighting, but now that the war has stopped, they have started to raise this kind of argument. They are damnable!" Feng Ji said bluntly.
Upon hearing this, Ju Su and Xun Chen remained silent.
Don’t they know this truth?
But the key to the problem lies in what Yuan Shao just asked.
There are quite a few of these people.
They were the backbone of Yuan Shao's army, and the powerful families they represented were countless.
The fact that so many people dare to raise this issue is of self-evident significance.
The disastrous consequences of the Central Plains War began to erupt.
"My lord, although what Zhengnan and Yuantu said makes some sense, this matter is of great importance, so it is best to take a long-term view." Seeing that the situation was not right, Guo Tu hurriedly stepped out and said.
"What else is there to discuss? If you hesitate to make a decision, you will suffer the consequences."
"If these cysticerci are not eliminated, they will spread and become a nuisance. Do we have to wait until they hand over our lord's foundation to the people?" Shen Pei said angrily.
"That's right. If these people dare to propose ceding the northern part of Qingzhou today, they will dare to propose ceding the entire Qingzhou tomorrow. They are a bunch of traitors and they all deserve to be killed." Feng Ji was full of murderous intent at this time.
Seeing that the two were so determined, Guo Tu hurriedly tried to save the situation, saying, "My Lord, these people are just making suggestions. Even if they are wrong, they are not deadly mistakes! What's more, the northern part of Qingzhou is not well defended, so their suggestion is..."
"Shut up! Guo Tu, do you know what you are saying?" Shen Pei saw that Guo Tu was talking without thinking and could no longer bear it. He drew the sword at his waist and pointed it at Guo Tu.
"My lord, the biggest traitor has already jumped out. I request that you execute him to appease the people." Feng Ji knelt down directly in front of Yuan Shao.
Guo Tu was really scared at this time, and he just wanted to slap himself twice.
There are some things that everyone knows, but they must never be said, especially in a situation like this.
"My lord, Gongze was only thinking about you and said something that was not appropriate. I hope you will forgive me."
At this time, even if Ju Shou didn't want to get involved, he had to stand up and say something for Guo Tu.
Because at this time Guo Tu was neither betraying his master nor slandering others. Instead, he was truly thinking about Yuan Shao and did not want Yuan Shao's path to be blocked by two upright men, Shen Pei and Feng Ji.
Although the earnest advice of loyal ministers is correct, it is not necessarily good, and sometimes it will only make things worse. This is the case now.
If Yuan Shao directly killed all the ministers who suggested this matter, it would be like cutting off his own arm. It would be a relief to end it all, but what about the people's livelihood and logistics under his rule?
There was no need for Tian Ze to attack, Yuan Shao would have collapsed on his own.
Shen Pei, Feng Ji and Guo Tu are all necessary, and this matter can only be handled properly. One of the two parties is the good guy and the other is the bad guy, which is just right to solve the problem.
Yuan Shao was also extremely angry at this time.
He had a strong possessiveness to begin with, and when he encountered this situation, the rage in his heart was much greater than that of Shen Pei Feng Ji.
However, as a leader, one must not only remain calm even when faced with a catastrophe, but also know how to weigh the pros and cons.
It is definitely not possible to just kill these people with one blow. We can only forgive the majority, win over a few, and finally deal with some people appropriately.
Ju Su enjoyed great reputation in Yuan Shao's army, and Shen Pei, Guo Tu and others all respected him very much. With his mediation, Yuan Shao was able to get downstairs and avoid being roasted in the fire.
After considering the opinions of several people, Yuan Shao chose to quietly start cleaning up these ministers, while at the same time focusing on cultivating his own confidants.
But this choice undoubtedly widened the distance between them and the aristocratic families and laid new hidden dangers.
As for giving up the northern part of Qingzhou, although Yuan Shao rejected it outright, he did start the population migration in secret.
At this time, the northern part of Qingzhou was like Xiliang in the late Eastern Han Dynasty to Yuan Shao. It had become a huge burden with no gains but only losses.
Guan Yu was eyeing the southern Hebei area in the northwest, Zang Ba was constantly harassing the Taishan Mountains in the southwest, and Gan Ning was stirring up trouble in the areas around Donglai in the east.
In the previous battle in the Central Plains, Gan Ning once again faced his lifelong enemy Zhou Yu.
Although I still didn't get any advantage, I didn't suffer any loss either.
The two sides fought to a draw and the casualties were not high.
However, after Sun Ce's army was severely damaged and Zhou Yu returned to Yangzhou, Gan Ning began to retaliate against the northern part of Qingzhou, especially the canal built by Yuan Shao in Qingzhou, which he harassed repeatedly.
The tremendous pressure and constant friction have made many people think about giving up the northern part of Qingzhou.
After all, the output of this place is very low, but a lot of manpower has been invested in it. It is not a solution to continue like this.
Yuan Shao was not unaware of this, but he had no choice.
If we give up Qingbei, Tian Ze will become even more unscrupulous.
It certainly made his defense easier and reduced the pressure and losses in the north. It also relieved Tian Ze's worries, allowing Jizhou to rest assured. And he would almost completely lose the opportunity to march north.
This is something he won't allow.
But at the same time, just keeping wasting time like this and letting the opponent slowly drain your blood is not a solution either.
Yuan Shao was once again caught in a dilemma.
Fortunately but unfortunately, he was not the only one having a headache this time. Cao Cao was also worried about the affairs in western Yanzhou.
He encountered the same situation as Yuan Shao, and a large number of ministers collectively suggested abandoning the Dongjun area.
And Dongjun is the place where Cao Cao made his fortune!
Cao Cao was so angry that he found an excuse and killed several of those who were jumping the most happily, and only then did he suppress this trend.
However, some things, once they happen for the first time, become difficult to control in the future.
(End of this chapter)
