Can I get to the other side?

Before the first month of the year was over, Lu Bu and Liu Bei left Yecheng.

One of them was going back to Yangzhou to reorganize the troops and wait for the spring to launch an attack on Sun Ce and occupy Yangzhou completely;

The other one secretly led troops to Yizhou according to Liu Xie's instructions.

Yuan Shao did not take their departure to heart, because he was also busy preparing for the war against Youzhou and had no time to pay attention to other things.

Yuan Mansion, Council Hall.

"The Lantern Festival has passed, and the army and food should be reorganized." Yuan Shao looked at Shen Pei and said.

Last year, the 30,000 troops brought with them suffered a lot of losses in the massive attack on Youzhou, and they needed to be replenished. At the same time, they also needed to raise enough food and supplies to prepare for the war in Youzhou after the spring.

Shen Pei bowed and replied: "My lord, the troops can be replenished within a month. However, the distribution of weapons and equipment and the preparation of logistics and food will take some time, but they will be prepared before March."

"Well, very good." Yuan Shao nodded with satisfaction and praised: "It is right to entrust the logistics to Zhengnan. Both the food and grass dispatch and the recruitment of troops are well organized."

"Xianfu, Xianyi, you two should learn a lot."

The two brothers Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang bowed and agreed.

But Shen Pei said seriously: "My lord, you are too kind. I am just fulfilling my duty. My lord, fighting on the front line is already difficult, how can I not want to share my worries for my lord?"

"Please rest assured to conquer Youzhou. I will do my best to ensure logistics and there will be no mistakes."

As soon as these words came out, everyone in the hall glanced at Xu You involuntarily.

Last year, Xu You's wife and children embezzled food and money, which caused a big uproar. In order to prevent the front-line troops from being disturbed, Shen Pei enforced strict military discipline and beheaded his wife and children as a warning to others.

Now, saying such words in front of Xu You is somewhat hurtful.

But what is unexpected is that after hearing Shen Pei's words, Xu You took the initiative to step forward and said: "What Shen Zhizhong said is very right. Logistics is related to the victory or defeat of the war, which is the top priority."

"Last time, I failed to restrain my son, so he committed the serious offense of embezzling food and money, which almost affected the lord's plan to attack Youzhou. It was my fault. Please punish me, lord."

After saying that, Xu You bowed deeply to Yuan Shao.

Seeing this scene, Ju Su, Shen Pei, Feng Ji, and even Tian Feng were all surprised.

Xu You, who has always been proud... actually took the initiative to admit his mistake?

Did the sun rise from the west?

Even Yuan Shao was somewhat caught off guard by this. He looked at Xu You who bowed deeply in front of him, and while he was stunned, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

He had seen the changes in Xu You during this period of time, and now he had lowered his face to publicly admit his mistakes in front of Shen Pei and others.

Yuan Shao knew Xu You's character best and knew that his move was sincere.

In this way, it seemed a bit inhumane for him to let Shen Pei enforce the law strictly and impartially last time.

After all, Xu You had followed him for so many years, and the two were friends who worked together, so he should be given a break and allowed to pay gold instead of fine.

"Ziyuan, get up." Yuan Shao sighed slightly and said sincerely: "This matter has passed, and it was your son's fault. It has nothing to do with you. How can I blame you?"

"You have followed me for many years, worked hard and made great contributions, and you are also my best friend. In the future, I will achieve great things, and I can't do without your assistance."

Xu You's eyes were slightly red, and he said with tears in his voice: "Thank you for your trust, my lord. I will definitely work together with Shen Zhizhong to manage the rear for my lord."

Yuan Shao helped him up with a gentle look, and it was a good scene of harmony between the upper and lower.

Shen Pei frowned and glanced at Xu You, his mind full of doubts.

He still remembered Xu You's eyes that wanted to eat him not long ago.

It has only been half a month, how could such a big change happen?

Shen Pei was puzzled, but he also knew that he must not raise such questions at the moment, otherwise it would certainly make Yuan Shao unhappy, and it would also make others think that he was deliberately targeting Xu You.

After pacifying Xu You, Yuan Shao said to everyone: "Ziyuan knows his mistakes and can correct them. He puts the overall situation first. This general is very pleased. The war is imminent. I hope you can put aside your prejudices and conflicts like Ziyuan. Everything should be based on the war in Youzhou!"

"Yes!"

Everyone responded respectfully, and the atmosphere on the scene was a little high.

Xu You wiped the tears from his face, adjusted his mood, and said to Yuan Shao: "My lord, I have something to say about Bingzhou."

"Well? Ziyuan, you can say it." Yuan Shao has changed his opinion of Xu You a lot during this period. Now he feels guilty about him and his attitude is very kind.

Xu You had already sorted out the words in his mind, and said: "After the beginning of spring, the governor of Bingzhou will lead 10,000 elite troops to Yizhou to attack Zhang Lu in Hanzhong.

By then, Bingzhou will be empty of defense. If the Xianbei take the opportunity to attack, Bingzhou will be in danger.

You thinks that we should send our confidants to recruit soldiers and horses to Bingzhou, and take over the governor's defense of Bingzhou during the period of the governor's attack on Hanzhong."

Although the Xianbei have been repeatedly attacked by Gao Gan in recent years, their power is not weak, and they can even be called strong, otherwise there would be no need to station 20,000 troops in Bingzhou.

This time Gao Gan went to attack Zhang Lu, and no one knew how long he would be away from Bingzhou.

If the Xianbei attacked on a large scale, the 10,000 troops in Bingzhou might not be able to stop them, especially without a backbone.

"Ziyuan's words make sense."

Yuan Shao did not take the Xianbei seriously at first, but he heard Gao Gan raise this concern some time ago, and today he heard Xu You say this, and he took it seriously.

After pondering for a while, he looked at Tian Feng and others and asked, "Who do you think is the most suitable to be sent to guard Bingzhou?"

After the words fell, the two brothers Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang said in unison: "Father, I am willing to go!"

Everyone immediately looked at the two brothers.

Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang also looked at each other with anger in their eyes.

Finally, Yuan Shang spoke first: "Father has promised to let you guard Youzhou in the future, why do you go to Bingzhou?"

Yuan Xi said without changing his expression: "Youzhou has not been conquered after all. Father also said before that he hopes I can accumulate more experience in governance.

This time, guarding Bingzhou for my brother is a good opportunity to learn how to govern a state. Third brother, you are still young, just stay in Yecheng at ease, and don't compete with me."

"Second brother, don't be too greedy!" Yuan Shang was a little annoyed, and a trace of anger appeared in his eyes. In his opinion, Yuan Xi already had Youzhou, and he wanted to compete with him for Bingzhou, which was simply hateful!

Both brothers knew that their father Yuan Shao was very fond of his brother Gao Gan.

If Gao Gan took Hanzhong as his base and seized Yizhou, he would be too busy to take care of Bingzhou.

In this way, whoever is in Bingzhou during this period can make friends with Gao Gan, or can truly control Bingzhou through Gao Gan.

With such a great prospect, both of them want to compete.

Yuan Xi said lightly: "Bingzhou is an important place, with Xianbei in the north and Ma Teng in the west. How can the third brother be so arrogant without experience in commanding troops?"

"You..." Yuan Shang wanted to argue with Yuan Xi, but Yuan Shao interrupted their argument.

"Stop arguing." Yuan Shao frowned and glanced at his two sons. Compared with Yuan Tan who had rushed to Qingzhou, he was still not stable enough.

Glancing at the counselors in front of the hall, Yuan Shao said: "You all tell me your opinions."

His question was actually a test.

He wanted to see which of his sons his counselors preferred.

Guo Tu was the first to stand up and said, "My Lord, I think it would be better to let the second son go to guard Bingzhou."

Xin Ping also seconded the proposal: "What you said is very true. After all, the third son is still young. I am afraid that he will not be able to convince the people after he goes to Bingzhou."

Over the years, the third son Yuan Shang has been quite popular with Liu, and he is handsome, so Yuan Shao has the idea of ​​making him his heir.

Guo Tu and Xin Ping have always been on good terms with Yuan Tan, and they hope that Yuan Tan can inherit the throne in the future so that the family can continue to prosper.

At this time, they naturally tried their best to stop Yuan Shang from going to Bingzhou and recommended Yuan Xi, who was neither the eldest son nor the youngest son, and was also the least competitive.

Feng Ji snorted coldly, scolding Guo Tu and Xin Ping without giving them face: "What nonsense! The generals of Bingzhou are all the confidants of the cousin, and the third son is the son of the general. Who dares not to obey him when he goes to Bingzhou? Who can not obey him?"

As he said, he bowed to Yuan Shao and said: "My lord, I think the third son should go to Bingzhou and take this opportunity to gain some experience, so that he can better help the lord to govern the area in the future."

The two insisted on their own opinions and refused to give in.

Only on the surface, each had his own reasons, but in fact it was a dispute over the successor.

Guo Tu and Xin Ping supported the eldest son Yuan Tan. As one of Yuan Shao's most trusted people, Feng Ji knew that Yuan Shao and Liu loved the youngest son, so he had made friends with Yuan Shang early on.

Also supporting Yuan Shang was Shen Pei, who did not have a good relationship with Feng Ji at this time.

It was rare that he also echoed Feng Ji's words.

Only Ju Su, Tian Feng, and Xu You said nothing, watching the nose and the heart, and did not make any statement.

Yuan Shao listened to the arguments of both sides and felt that each of them had their own reasons. For a moment, he was overwhelmed and didn't know how to make a decision.

After thinking for a while, he looked at Tian Feng, then at Ju Su, and finally cast his eyes on Xu You.

"Ziyuan, who do you think is more suitable to temporarily replace the governor of Bingzhou when Yuancai goes to Hanzhong?"

Seeing Yuan Shao asking Xu You's opinion, Yuan Xi was secretly happy, while Yuan Shang's face was gloomy.

Everyone present knew that Xu You and Yuan Xi had been uncle and nephew long before Dong Zhuo disrupted the government, and they had a good relationship in private.

Xu You stroked his beard and pondered for a long time before giving an answer: "My lord, I think it would be better to let the third son go to Bingzhou. After the spring, the war in Youzhou will start. Since the second son will be the governor of Youzhou in the future, he naturally needs to follow the lord to gain experience."

This answer caught Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang off guard.

Yuan Xi's expression was dull, and his eyes were full of disbelief!

Yuan Shang showed a happy expression, secretly cast a grateful look at Xu You, and then quickly bowed to Yuan Shao.

"Father, now my elder brother is guarding Qingzhou, and my second brother will also guard Youzhou. Although I am not talented, I also want to share your worries! Please allow me to temporarily guard Bingzhou in place of my brother!"

Yuan Shao had always favored his youngest son, and seeing this, he no longer hesitated and nodded and said, "In this case, you will temporarily guard Bingzhou in place of Gao Gan. Don't let your father down when you go to Bingzhou."

"I will obey your order and will not let you down!" Yuan Shang immediately knelt on one knee and clasped his fists, saying loudly.

Yuan Xi, who was standing aside, could no longer suppress his anger, and put aside all his concerns. He actually questioned Yuan Shao in front of everyone: "Father, why don't you let me go to Bingzhou! How am I worse than my third brother! Why does my father always favor my third brother!"

All the counselors present were dumbfounded.

Yuan Xi was so cunning, no wonder no one supported him, and no wonder Yuan Shao didn't think highly of him as the de facto eldest son.

Jia Xu, who was in the corner, gently waved his feather fan, and the corners of his mouth hidden behind the fan slightly raised.

"How dare you!"

Yuan Shao was furious: "Is this the attitude you use when talking to your father!!"

Yuan Xi was unmoved and sneered: "Isn't what I said wrong? After my eldest brother was adopted by my uncle Yuan Ji, I became the eldest son in the family! Why is my father so partial to my third brother!"

"Pa--!"

Yuan Shao was so angry that he slapped Yuan Xi's face hard, causing blood to flow from the corner of his mouth.

"Lord, calm down!"

Everyone was shocked and stepped forward to hold Yuan Shao.

They were afraid that he would beat Yuan Xi to death in anger.

Yuan Shao's face was so gloomy that it was about to drip with water, like the sky before a storm.

He glanced at Yuan Xi with a cold look and spit out three words:

"Get out!"

Yuan Xi's left cheek was swollen, and he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and left the meeting hall without saying a word.

"Father..."

Yuan Shang swallowed his saliva, and at this moment he was surprised and happy.

What was surprising was that Yuan Xi dared to disobey his father in public.

What was good was that after this incident, Yuan Xi might completely lose the qualification to compete for the throne!

"That's all for today, everyone leave!"

Yuan Shao's voice sounded calm, but everyone could feel the anger he suppressed in his heart.

However, just as everyone was about to leave, Yuan Shao, who was already in poor health, was so angry at Yuan Xi's rebellion that he fainted on the ground.

"My Lord!"

"Father!"

"Go and call the doctor!"

In the chaos, Xu You and Jia Xu looked at each other, and then left one after another after Yuan Shao was sent to the wing room.

...

Yuan Xi's mansion, study.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Yuan Xi almost fell into madness, holding a sword and slashing wildly in the study, making the whole study a mess.

"How can the second son achieve great things if he is so impatient?"

Yuan Xi looked back when he heard the voice and saw Jia Xu standing at the door. Pointing his sword at Jia Xu, he said coldly: "Why didn't you speak up for me just now at my father's house!"

At this time, his hair was disheveled, his eyes were bloodshot, his left face was swollen, and there were clearly visible slap marks.

Jia Xu used a feather fan to push away Yuan Xi's sword and shook his head gently.

"The general had already discussed with Xu You about who to choose to temporarily replace Bingzhou Mu. Otherwise, why do you think Xu You would recommend the third son?

What's more, even if the general asked you to go to Bingzhou, what would happen?

Bingzhou and Youzhou are both unimportant. What's important is always Jizhou.

When the general promised you to be the governor of Youzhou, you had already lost the right to inherit the throne."

When Yuan Xi heard this, he immediately figured out why Xu You, who had a better relationship with him, would recommend Yuan Shang.

It turned out that his father had already made the decision.

He gritted his teeth and felt extremely sad.

The hand holding the sword trembled constantly, and finally fell down powerlessly, and the whole person collapsed to the ground, as if his spine was broken all of a sudden.

"You go." Yuan Xi stared at the floor with lifeless eyes, and said disheartenedly: "Father favored my third brother, and I disobeyed him today. As you said, I have lost the right to inherit the throne."

"Not necessarily." Jia Xu walked in front of Yuan Xi and said in a low voice: "There is one last way. It depends on whether the second son wants to grasp it and whether he dares to grasp it."

"What way?" Yuan Xi raised his head suddenly.

Jia Xu squatted down, picked up the sword on the ground and put it in Yuan Xi's hand, and then stared straight into his eyes.

"Man proposes, God disposes."

"Kill your father and seize the throne!"