The Nameless of the Common Clans

"My Lord, here is a letter from the Right General Chen Mo." In Dongjun, Shating, Yuan Shao's camp, Guo Tu brought a scroll of bamboo slips to Yuan Shao.

"What? Bo Dao wants to plead for his master?" Yuan Shao snorted coldly and said, "These two masters and apprentices are both willful and reckless, regardless of the overall situation!"

He still remembered that because he didn't listen to Chen Mo's words and missed the opportunity, Chen Mo directly ridiculed him in front of all the officials. Yuan Shao was a little guilty at the time and didn't care about Chen Mo, but he was very unhappy in his heart.

"My Lord, Zang Ziyuan is also a famous scholar of the time. Not to mention that he is Chen Mo's teacher, Zang Hong has made great contributions to the governance of Qingzhou and Dongjun for the Lord in the past few years, so it's okay to punish him." Guo Tu said with a smile.

It is better not to kill famous people if possible, especially Zang Hong, whose fame is growing day by day. If he is really killed, it will be disadvantageous to Yuan Shao, not to mention that there is Chen Mo standing behind Zang Hong. Now Gongsun Zan has not been completely eliminated. If Chen Mo and Gongsun Zan join forces, Yuan Shao will also be in trouble.

"I know that Ziyuan blames me for not saving Zhang Chao this time, but Zhang Chao is in collusion with that Liu..." Yuan Shao nodded, and then said a little unhappy.

"Liu Bei." Guo Tu smiled.

"Yes, it was him who almost destroyed Meng De's foundation. Zhang Chao is an old friend of him and Zang Hong, and Meng De is also an old friend of mine. Besides, it was Zhang Chao who was the first to go back and forth in this matter. Do you want me to mobilize troops for Zhang Chao and Meng De?" Yuan Shao snorted coldly. Although Zang Hong accused Yuan Shao of plotting against the Han Dynasty in the name of the court, in fact, if he had said it earlier, why wait until now? Zang Hong was dissatisfied because Yuan Shao did not help him save Zhang Chao. Maybe there were also reasons for the Han Dynasty, but it was definitely not the main reason. It can only be said that it was incidental.

Your friend, Zang Hong, is a friend. For your friend, Zang Hong, I should attack my own friend? What is the reason?

Although many people think that Zang Hong is a man of character and a gentleman, including Yuan Shao, he does not object to this, but in Yuan Shao's view, Zang Hong's behavior of valuing small righteousness and ignoring the overall situation made him very angry.

"My lord is right, but Zang Ziyuan ignores the overall situation. My lord is the hope of the world. Now we should consider the overall situation. At this time, our army and Chen Mo are still allies, and it is not good to go to war with Chen Mo at this time. My lord knows that Chen Mo is a disciple of Zang Hong. Like Zang Hong, he only cares about small righteousness. According to my humble opinion, after conquering Dongwuyang, Zang Hong can be sent to Luoyang, which can also be regarded as befriending Chen Mo. After my lord settles Youzhou and occupies Qingzhou in the future, if he is dissatisfied, he can also attack Chen Mo for this matter." Guo Tu said with a smile.

Now is not the time to attack Chen Mo. The most important thing Yuan Shao should do now is to kill Gongsun Zan. If he turns against Chen Mo at this time, he may be attacked by Chen Mo, Gongsun Zan and even the Black Mountain Bandits. It is better to hand over Zang Hong first and do Chen Mo a favor. After dealing with Gongsun Zan and pacifying the Black Mountain Bandits, Yuan Shao should turn his attention to the surrounding areas. Should he go south to invade the Central Plains and fight with Yuan Shu? Or go west to Guanzhong and deal with Chen Mo first? It's all fine.

"I don't mean to kill Ziyuan either." Yuan Shao nodded upon hearing this, then sighed and said, "These two masters and apprentices have the same temper. If Zang Hong was willing to admit his mistakes to me, why would it be like this?"

Famous people cannot be killed casually. Look at how Cao Cao killed Bian Rang and almost lost his family. Moreover, Zang Hong is not Bian Rang. He is capable and is gentle in his letters or meetings with Yuan Shao. He gives people the feeling of a modest gentleman and can take care of everyone's feelings. It is precisely because of this that when such a person suddenly turns against you, it will be difficult for people to accept, especially Yuan Shao, who is used to being praised by others.

"My Lord, what you said is very true." Guo Tu responded with a smile. Regarding the issue of Zang Hong, the two factions of Hebei scholars and Yingchuan scholars, who had always been at odds with Yuan Shao, were quite consistent this time. They could just drive him away, but they must not kill him. One reason was that Zang Hong was popular with people, and the other was that there was Chen Mo behind Zang Hong. If Yuan Shao really killed Zang Hong by force, it would probably affect Chen Mo's attitude towards Yuan Shao. If Chen Mo and Gongsun Zan joined forces, there would be too many variables in the future.

…

"My Lord, the latest news from the direction of Dongjun is that this time, Yuan Shao personally led the troops and has now besieged Dongwuyang, but has failed to capture the city after several sieges." Zhong Yun hurried in from the Yanshi Yamen and handed a bamboo slip to Chen Mo.

Although Zang Hong is a scholar, he also has good skills in commanding troops and fighting. Most of Chen Mo's military tactics were learned from Zang Hong. He is not the kind of scholar who can only debate with others. Although he is trapped in an isolated city, Yuan Shao is still unable to take it down in a hurry.

"Got it." Chen Mo nodded: "How is Zhang Yang?"

"Yu Sheng has been ordered to send troops, and Zhang Xiu has also followed the lord's instructions and led his troops to cross the river from Ao Cang to harass his food supply. However, Zhang Yang has 20,000 troops. Although Yu Sheng is good at defense, his troops are insufficient. Even with Zhang Xiu, it may be difficult to defeat Zhang Yang." Zhong Yun said worriedly.

"Let's see first." Chen Mo nodded. Yu Sheng was trained by him. He was down-to-earth, hardworking, and rarely fought for anything. Among the generals who followed Chen Mo in the early days, Yu Sheng was the one who made Chen Mo most assured. Even if he lost, he would not lose too badly. Zhang Xiu was quite capable. This time, Chen Mo also wanted to promote Zhang Xiu by bringing him out. It might not be a good thing for Zhang Xiu to stay with Zhang Ji all the time.

"Speaking of which, this time in Luoyang, the changes in the Heluo area are not small. Shulin should be credited with the first merit." Chen Mo looked at Zhong Yun and smiled.

The Heluo area, because it was rebuilt, almost copied the operation mode of Henei, and there were not many nobles. Although Dong Zhuo's relocation of the capital destroyed Luoyang's former prosperity, it also gave Luoyang greater possibilities. Today's Luoyang is less prosperous than before, but more prosperous.

Today's Zhong Yun is less sharp than before, more calm, and has the bearing that a prefect should have. Chen Mo is very pleased about this. Although there are more and more talents around him, and there are many great talents, the most convenient ones are still these old subordinates who worked hard with him in Xiyuan.

Perhaps ruling a place is more suitable for Zhong Yun than fighting on the battlefield.

"It's all thanks to the lord's law. Yun dare not be greedy for credit." Zhong Yun smiled.

"The most important thing about laws is that someone enforces them, otherwise it's the same as if there is no law. Whether it's the Qin law or the Han law, they are not bad laws, but whether they can play their role depends on how the local government enforces them, not the court." Chen Mo shook his head and smiled. This is why he can turn a blind eye to things in the court, but he is absolutely merciless to local officials. That's the root.

Since Chen Mo led his army into Chang'an, the two have not seen each other for two years. Now that they meet again, they naturally have endless things to say. Chen Mo was not too anxious about Zang Hong's matter after he arrived in Luoyang. He came to Luoyang just to express his attitude to Yuan Shao, and then to deal with Zhang Yang. Gongsun Zan has not yet been destroyed. Even if Chen Mo did not intend to really go to war with Yuan Shao, Chen Mo's understanding of Yuan Shao estimated that he was struggling at the moment.

His teacher's life was saved, and he was able to bring his teacher to his side. He had one more person who could stand on his own feet, and he was the kind of person he could trust. Although it was a bit unethical to use his teacher as a measure of interest, Chen Mo would not make this trip to Luoyang in vain. He had gained both in reputation and in reality.

After chatting with Zhong Yun for half a day, Zhong Yun continued to do his own things. This year was a turning point for the entire Chen Mo Group. Last year's bumper harvest gradually restored the prosperity of Guanzhong. If there could be another bumper harvest this year, Chen Mo's popularity in Guanzhong would continue to increase.

"Wenhe, what do you think of the general situation in the world?" The next morning, Zhong Yun got up and went to Luoyang. Chen Mo took Jia Xu to Chenggao. This time, it was necessary to save the teacher, but it was also planned to inspect the land of Heluo. In the future, this would be a strategic location for Chen Mo to point to the Central Plains.

"That depends on the final ownership of Xuzhou." Jia Xu followed Chen Mo, half a step slower, and smiled when he heard the words.

"This ending is not what I want." Chen Mo nodded, but sighed.

Jia Xu's meaning is very clear. Now the two overlords in the north and the west are busy. Chen Mo's focus is now on Xiliang. He wants to eliminate future troubles, while Yuan Shao wants to deal with Gongsun Zan. In the Central Plains, it is mainly Yuan Shu, Cao Cao and Liu Bei.

Cao Cao started to capture Yuzhou quickly after Yanzhou stabilized this year. The main reason is that this place is easy to fight. Although Yuan Shu was defeated by Cao Cao and lost several counties in Nanyang and Runan, his foundation is too strong. Cao Cao now holds the emperor and has no time to look east. He instigated Yuan Shu to attack Xuzhou, so the battle for Xuzhou is a key node. If Cao Cao takes Xuzhou, he will be the final winner of the Central Plains, but if Yuan Shu takes Xuzhou, the situation in the Central Plains will be Cao Cao and Yuan Shu fighting each other.

In fact, what Chen Mo hopes to see most is that Liu Bei can stand on equal footing with Yuan Shu and Cao Cao, and the two sides can't win. In that case, Chen Mo will have enough time to manage Xiliang, and then compete with Yuan Shao for the position of the overlord of the north. After the two have decided the winner, they will go south to the Central Plains. At that time, they will sweep across the Central Plains with a great victory. Even if Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Yuan Shu join forces, Chen Mo will not be afraid.

Unfortunately, this is just Chen Mo's hope. The fact is that Yuan Shu has been deceived by Cao Cao's position as the governor of Guangling to fight Liu Bei, and Cao Cao took the opportunity to expand his power. Liu Bei's foundation is too shallow, and the Chen family cannot wholeheartedly assist Liu Bei and still sit on the sidelines. In this case, Liu Bei is bound to lose. It depends on whether Cao Cao or Yuan Shu will get Xuzhou in the end. If it is Cao Cao...

Chen Mo has a headache. This possibility is quite high. At that time, the entire Central Plains will be in a three-way situation, which will take a long time.

Jia Xu smiled and said, "The world is unpredictable. Since you have seen clearly, you must know that there is not much you can do now."

"That's true. Sometimes seeing clearly is not much different from not seeing clearly." Chen Mo nodded and smiled.

"Not really." Jia Xu shook his head and said, "If you can see clearly, at least you know how to do your best. If you can't see clearly, you can't reach the point where you are now."

"That's right. I have nothing to do. How about you drink a few cups with me?"