Chapter 881 It’s time to compete with your father
Luoyang Government Affairs Office.
Chen Xi stroked his chin and looked at the pile of letters of request to fight on his desk, which was as big as a mountain. He didn't know what to say.
Originally, Li Ru’s application was no secret, but it was not widely publicized either.
The bad luck was that a court meeting was being held in Luoyang that day, and Li Ruyou gave him an expedited letter. Chen Xi was caught off guard and announced it at the court meeting, which resulted in trouble.
Everyone in the court is basically well aware of the future situation, and no one will give up such a good opportunity to lay the foundation in advance.
As a result, on the second day of the court meeting, the Government Affairs Hall was almost packed with people submitting letters of request to fight.
Precisely because there are so many people, it is a little difficult to choose. As the saying goes, what is worrying is not the lack of distribution but the inequality of distribution. This thing needs to be fair, just and open.
"Zichuan, this is all your own fault. Don't expect us to help you!" Guo Jia said gloatingly.
When General Guo Hao is away, the only person who has the power to mobilize troops is Chen Xi, or the person who has the power to mobilize troops must obtain the consent of two-thirds of the people in the Government Affairs Office.
But now at this critical moment, no one wants to get involved and cause trouble, so all can be left to Chen Xi, who caused the current predicament, to deal with on his own.
"Go, go, go. If you have the time, go and sort out the intelligence about the Outer Empire. When they go out this time, you have to teach them a lesson first, so that they won't be sold out by others."
Chen Xi had a bitter face and waved his hand to drive Guo Jia away, the sadness between his brows lingering.
"well!"
Even though he resisted in his heart, Chen Xi finally had to compromise and take on this sudden overtime task.
Of course, Chen Xi couldn't read all of them, so he could only use the most ancient method and randomly select the letters of request to review.
Reaching out a letter of request to fight from the hill, Chen Xi glanced at the signature.
"Huh? Li... Jiancheng, Li Jiancheng?"
Chen Xi thought he was seeing things, so he rubbed his eyes and realized that it was indeed Li Jiancheng, the eldest son of Li Yuan of the Li family.
"Are you planning to gain experience, or do you have some other plan?" Chen Xi scratched his head and shouted to Guo Jia.
"Well, there was a report before that Li Jiancheng seemed to be ambitious in external affairs. Li Yuan found a helper for him. It is very likely that Li Yuanji will inherit his position in the future." Guo Jia heard Chen Xi's voice and replied indifferently.
"It's really rare... Li Yuan is really courageous. I should say Li Jiancheng is really courageous!"
Chen Xi recalled the Li Jiancheng in his memory and found that he was indeed quite capable. Under the existing framework, he was almost one of the leaders of the aristocratic families. As for the other leader, it was of course Yuan Tan of the Yuan family.
"The aristocratic family in Guanzhong..." Chen Xi inexplicably thought of another aristocratic family, the Yang family. As one of the pioneers who committed suicide back then, the Yang family was severely weakened by them, otherwise the Li family would not have become one of the representatives of the aristocratic families.
As for the Yuan family, it can only be said that their foundation is too strong. Although it has been severely weakened several times, it is still one of the top families now.
"He is a good candidate!" Chen Xi put Li Jiancheng's letter of request to fight aside. If Li Jiancheng could also go out, it would be a good thing for the Han Dynasty.
The more people leave, the more vacant positions there will be. For the grassroots, there will be more room for advancement, which is a good thing for the country and the people.
"This one belongs to... Liu Chan?" Chen Xi was really confused. He really caught it with his eyes closed, but he didn't expect that the person he caught was Liu Chan.
"Well, Liu Chan..." Chen Xi fell into deep thought.
Theoretically speaking, Liu Chan was a hostage deliberately placed in Luoyang by Liu Bei. Although the imperial court did not have this intention, Liu Bei still placed Liu Chan in Luoyang to save others. Even when he went to visit his relatives, he would return quickly within a few days.
From a certain perspective, such behavior can indeed prove Liu Bei's loyalty to the Han Dynasty, but the Han Dynasty does not need this.
What Chen Xi was thinking about was how risky this operation would be. Liu Chan was Liu Bei's only son, and it would be bad if he died outside.
But after thinking about it, Chen Xi put Liu Chan's letter of request for war together with Li Jiancheng's. Flowers in a greenhouse cannot withstand destruction. Since Liu Chan himself is ambitious, they should not hold him back.
On the battlefield, whose children are not children? From this perspective, Liu Chan should not be special.
Besides, as he said at the beginning, this action can be regarded as an eye-opening action, or it can be said to be an action to gain experience, so it should not be too dangerous.
"Another one!" Chen Xi closed his eyes and took out another one.
When I opened it, I was dumbfounded. It turned out to be Sun Quan's letter of request for war.
Chen Xi's brows were really furrowed this time. Sun Quan was just making trouble. He had already been given a chance to be governor, so why did he want to interfere in the army now?
Such a big fleet, you don't want it anymore?
"Hey, Fengxiao, what's wrong with Sun Zhongmou? Is he here to cause trouble?" Chen Xi shouted at Guo Jia again.
Compared with Guo Jia, who controls the intelligence, he is like a badger in a melon field, jumping up and down but unable to find the melons.
"Hahaha, this is interesting!" Guo Jia said with a smile, "Sun Quan, the unlucky guy, was so happy to touch people from under Sun Ce that he even took Lu Su away. But Sun Bofu was very angry."
"After Sun Bofu used his brain, it was ridiculous. He and Gan Ning invited Sun Quan and Lu Su to dinner."
"Then... his fleet was secretly taken away by Sun Ce and Gan Ning, and he himself was knocked unconscious by Sun Ce and thrown back!"
"Sun Ce's own fleet is managed by Zhou Yu, and Gan Ning himself has the qualifications to customize the fleet, which is equivalent to robbing Sun Quan of the qualifications. We did not pursue it further. Now Sun Quan's fleet is still being built in the shipyard. It is estimated that it will take at least two years for it to be completed."
"Although it sounds outrageous, if it is Sun Bofu and Gan Xingba, it seems very reasonable."
Chen Xi was speechless. Although this matter sounded magical, if it happened to Sun Ce and Gan Ning, it seemed surprisingly reasonable.
"Alas, what an unlucky guy!"
Chen Xi also put Sun Quan's letter of request for war together. It has to be said that from a certain perspective, the two brothers Sun Ce and Sun Quan are really brothers. They have no bottom line when it comes to pitting each other.
Sun Quan poached three future generals from Sun Ce's command, and Sun Ce in turn poached all of Sun Quan's fleet. This kind of brotherhood can only be achieved by true brothers.
"Let me guess, this one doesn't belong to Cao Ang or Yuan Tan!" Chen Xi reached out and picked up another one. He felt that the arrangement he had been given was perfect.
"Well, this one is a bit unexpected!" Chen Xi picked up Zhang He's letter of request for battle.
Zhang He can be regarded as one of the most unlucky guys in the entire Han Dynasty. When he followed Yuan Shao, he was one of the Four Pillars of Hebei and was well-known throughout the world.
He took over the battle of leading the White Horse against the Xiandeng and was immediately defeated. Although the battle in the Northern Frontier managed to restore some dignity, when people talked about Zhang He, they couldn't help but mention the battle in which the Xiandeng army set foot on the military soul.
Especially after the novelist turned that thing into a story and spread it, Zhang He's situation became even more embarrassing, and he seemed quite frustrated.
"The sword in the box squeaked... This flag is set in a very subtle way!" Chen Xi shook his head and put Zhang He's letter of request to fight on the side of acceptance.
After all, he is one of the twenty-four generals, and there is still room for improvement.
After being interrupted repeatedly, Chen Xi had a new idea.
"Well, how about I change my mindset and help these little guys connect?"
Chen Xi stroked his chin and thought, since it was such a coincidence, why not let these guys use their magical powers to see what kind of surprise they can give him.
"Let me see. Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin, Liu Chan, Cao Ang, Sun Quan, and Yuan Tan, six people each take the lead to integrate a team. I want to see what kind of top team they can put together."
"I have issued an order to all those who have written letters of request. This operation will be centered around these six people. Anyone interested can contact me. I will make the final decision in three days."
Finally, Chen Xi thought of a good idea. He went directly to the palace to report to Liu Ying. Liu Ying thought there was no problem and directly stamped the imperial seal on the edict.
As soon as this edict came out, Luoyang was in an uproar. Many old ministers were shocked. The entire Han Empire seemed to have changed from a family empire to a national empire, and it truly achieved the state of wise and capable people. Previous dynasties would never have given ministers the opportunity to form cliques and pursue personal gain, but Chen Xi took the initiative to promote this matter.
However, after getting excited, these old ministers shook their heads bitterly. Things now are different from the past. In the past, perhaps everyone had been leading troops for a long time, so as long as they raised their arms and called for a rebellion, it would be no problem.
But now it's different, when people live a prosperous life and realize what they are fighting for.
It's not that these old ministers looked down on Yuan Tan, Liu Chan and others, but when they really intended to rebel, the court didn't even have to take any action, and the soldiers under their command would capture them spontaneously.
For those soldiers who have families, it is naturally impossible for them to abandon their homes and children to rebel. But for those soldiers who are alone, if they die in battle and cannot enter the Jingling Palace, then their death will be in vain.
The general situation is such that even if one has ambitions, one can only work within the imperial system. Once one has evil thoughts, one will be cut off from the world.
At least when Guo Hao and Chen Xi were alive, these situations would never happen.
The massive mobilization work began. The six guys selected as captains were highly valued by the entire Han Dynasty, and they faced endless tests and temptations.
"Guo Pengju... Chen Zichuan... Alas, my loss was not unfair!" After hearing about this in the courtyard where he was under house arrest, Yuan Shao looked up to the sky and sighed. The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. He lost everything.
"Please give me a helping hand, father! The opportunity is right in front of me. I must think about whether this is my last chance in this life. To restore the glory of the Yuan family, I, Yuan Tan, have no choice but to do it!"
Yuan Tan knelt on the ground and told his father loudly about his ambitions.
Yuan Shao glanced at Yuan Tan lying on the ground and shook his head. Yuan Tan's success and failure were both due to his surname Yuan. The reason why he was not killed was because their Yuan family had disciples all over the world.
But things are different now. They were once the number one family in the world, and their every move was in the direction of the general trend. This is also the reason why they wanted to replace the Liu family and seize the world.
But now it’s different. They have been defeated. The victors take all. Those former disciples of the Yuan family were eager to draw a clear line with them. How could they possibly rush to find Yuan Tan?
This is also the reason why Yuan Tan was desperate and had to ask Yuan Shao for help. It would be fine if this matter was carried out in secret, but after it was made public, even those who were willing to help him had to choose other people to avoid suspicion.
It's nothing, just to avoid suspicion. After all, the Yuan family is a hot potato, and few people dare to get into trouble at this time.
"Fool, get up. Of course I will help you, but you have to be prepared. After this, I'm afraid many people will officially break off their relationship with the Yuan family. You only have this one chance!"
Yuan Shao sighed and pulled Yuan Tan up from the ground.
"Father, I have no way out, right?" Yuan Tan said with his head down.
He knew very well that this might really be his last chance. Relying on Yuan Shao's past accumulation, he could become a high-ranking official in the Han Dynasty, or become a wealthy man, but that was his limit.
But he didn't want to sink into depravity like that, he wanted to live like a human being.
It was the absence of the main force of the Han Dynasty that gave them this opportunity. Only by seizing the opportunity and achieving sufficient results could he hope to compete with others.
Otherwise, Yuan Tan would be influenced by his family and would have to sink into depravity, watching his classmates leave him far behind. He didn't want that.
"Fool, idiot!" Yuan Shao was filled with remorse. He regretted and hated himself.
"Forget it, forget it, just do your best and leave the rest to fate!" Yuan Shao walked into the study and picked up a pen.
"Road to the public..."
Yuan Shao, who had been proud all his life, finally bowed to his younger brother Yuan Shu for the sake of his son. Although the two had loved and hated each other for many years, they were still brothers after all.
After Yuan Shu received the letter written by Yuan Shao himself, he was overwhelmed with emotions, which finally turned into a long sigh.
"Tiger! Bring my personal guards and help my nephew!"
Yuan Shu did not hide anything and directly sent his only general Ji Ling and his own personal guards to Yuan Tan. At the same time, he directly used the Yuan family's connections to start building momentum for Yuan Tan.
Li Yuan and Cao Cao almost chose the same path. Like Yuan Shao, they began to find ways to pave the way for their sons.
In fact, this situation only occurred because of Chen Xi's tacit approval. Otherwise, even if those people from Cao Cao's family wanted to join Cao Ang, they would each submit their own letters of request for battle, rather than the current situation of banding together.
The only two who remained unmoved were Sun Quan and Liu Chan. Sun Quan knew very well how deceiving his own people were, especially his eldest brother Sun Bofu. He had long given up relying on their strength. After discussing with Lu Su, Lu Xun and others, he began to look for his teammates purposefully.
As for Liu Chan, he was completely out of the situation. He could only gather Guan Ping and others together, and then watch Cao Cao and others build up momentum.
In fact, he is not at all inferior in terms of relying on his father. Liu Bei is willing to build momentum for him, and people like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are definitely not stingy either, but they are out of reach.
By the time Liu Bei learned the news, it was too late to even think about helping him, so he could only figure out a solution on his own, just like Sun Quan.
But Sun Quan still has Lu Su as his strong support, but Liu Chan really doesn't have that. His biological father is in Yizhou, and his uncle is still in Japan, so there is no support at all.
When he thought of this, Liu Chan was filled with grief and anger, and then he started fighting directly.
