Chapter 49: The Little Swindler and the Big Swindler

  After the eighteen vassals defeated Dong Zhuo, although they did not gain much in terms of war results, they also had some gains. As for Yuan Shao, who was widely regarded as a good person because he was the leader of the alliance, his reputation soared even more, as if there were no better leaders in the world except him. He also ushered in an explosive development stage.

  At this time, Dong Zhuo had not yet fallen, but the bigwigs in Guandong were vying with each other to expand their own territory, fighting over land and population. Han Fu was afraid that Yuan Shao would become too powerful, so he intentionally reduced military supplies, trying to disperse and starve Yuan Shao's army. But Yuan Shao was not satisfied with just a small county in Bohai, and had long coveted Ji Province, known as the most important resource under heaven.

  When Yuan Shao was discussing with Dong, he asked Cao Cao: "If the big thing doesn't go smoothly, where can we rely on?" Cao Cao asked back: "What do you mean by that?" Yuan Shao replied: "I will occupy the south of the Yellow River, defend Yan and Dai in the north, and also have the help of Wuhuan and Xianbei people. Then I will head south to compete for the world, maybe it can be successful!" The area between the Yellow River in the south and Yan and Dai in the north mentioned by Yuan Shao is actually the rich and populous Hebei Province.

  The biggest obstacle to advancing into Jizhou, General-in-Chief Pan Feng and Pan Wushuang, who were of one mind with Han Fu, had been poisoned by Yuan Shao. The remaining ones were all people who were on good terms with him, such as Ju Shou, Tian Feng, Zhang He, Gao Lan, etc. However, sometimes Yuan Shao suffered from a mental disorder and hesitated to make up his mind to annex Han Fu, so he called for Gong Ji to ask questions.

  Yuan Shao anxiously asked: "The Jizhou army is strong and powerful, our army can only rely on Bohai County, the newly captured Qinghe County, and Anping County as supply lines, which are extremely difficult to maintain. If we can't take down Han Fu, we won't even have a foothold!"

  At the beginning, three strategists who followed Yuan Shao, Xu You and Guo Tu, were sent to Qinghe and Anping to govern the local areas. Only Feng Ji was left beside Yuan Shao. Feng Ji knew that Yuan Shao's old problem had recurred and comforted him by saying: "Han Fu is a mediocre talent. We can secretly make an agreement with Gongsun Zan, the governor of Liaodong, to let him attack Ji Province from the north. Once he makes a move, Han Fu will surely be frightened out of his wits. Then we can take advantage of the situation and send someone who is good at talking to explain the pros and cons to him. I'm sure he'll hand over Ji Province."

  Yuan Shao attached great importance to Feng Ji, and indeed wrote a letter according to his intention and sent it to Gongsun Zan. Gongsun Zan was very moved, Yuan Shao promised to conquer Hebei Province together and divide it equally between them. This Hebei Province is one of the few rich provinces in the world, only Jingzhou and Yizhou can be compared with it, how can people not be tempted?

  Gongsun Zan then sent troops to attack Ji Province from the south. The Wuhuan and Xianbei, who had been intimidated by the White Horse Army, were no match for him. Moreover, several people in Han Fu's command were incompetent, so they were defeated in one battle. Han Fu's army was defeated and he himself became flustered;

  At this time, Yuan Shao's emissaries Gao Gan and Xun Chen arrived at Ye City in a timely manner. Gao Gan was Yuan Shao's nephew, while Xun Chen had a good relationship with Han Fu. On the surface, they were still Han Fu's men, but behind his back, they had long since become Yuan Shao's subordinates.

  Xun Chen said to Han Fu: "Gongsun Zan is taking advantage of his victory and marching south, the various commanderies are surrendering at the mere wind of his approach; Yuan Shu's cavalry has also arrived at Yanzhou, his intentions are difficult to predict, we are all secretly worried about the general."

  Han Fu's face changed, and he hastily asked: "In that case, what should we do?" Xun Chen did not answer directly, but instead asked: "According to your estimation, how do you compare with Yuan Shao in terms of being lenient and benevolent towards others?"

  Han Fu said: "I am not as good." "In making critical decisions and being brave, how do you compare to Yuan Shao?" Han Fu said again: "I am not as good." "Then, in accumulating virtue over generations and bringing benefits to the people of the world, how do you compare to Yuan Shao?" Han Fu shook his head: "Still not as good."

  After raising several questions, Xun Chen said: "Gongsun Zan led the elite troops of Yan and Dai, and his military strength was unstoppable; Yuan Shao was a hero of his time, how could he be under the general for long? Hebei Province is a vital place for the country to survive. If Yuan and Gongsun Zan join forces and fight with the general under the city, the general's life will be in danger. Yuan Shao is an old friend of the general and has formed an alliance with him. Now, it would be better to give Hebei Province to Yuan Shao. After Yuan Shao gets Hebei Province, he will definitely treat the general kindly. Gongsun Zan will not be able to contend with him either. At that time, the general will not only gain a good reputation for yielding to virtue but also be more stable than Mount Tai. I hope the general will not hesitate!"

  Han Fu was naturally timid and lacking in determination, so when Xun Chen spoke to him like this, he agreed. Many of Han Fu's subordinates were worried and advised against it, with the Longshi Geng Wu, the Biaojia Min Chun, and the Zhongzheng Li Li all saying: "Although Ji Province is remote, it has a million soldiers and enough food to last for ten years, while Yuan Shao is a solitary guest with a destitute army, relying on us for survival, just like an infant in our hands. If we were to cut off his supplies, he would immediately starve to death. Why should we give Ji Province to him?"

  Han Fu said helplessly: "I am a former official of the Yuan family, and my ability is not as good as Ben Chu. To yield to virtue and let the worthy take over is what the ancients advocated for. Why do you still want to blame me?" The governor of Heyang, Zhao Fu and Cheng Tan, heard the news and rushed from Mengjin to the east with hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of people, requesting to send troops to resist Yuan Shao. Han Fu disagreed. In the end, Han Fu moved out of the government office and sent his son to deliver the seal of the governor of Jizhou to Yuan Shao.

  Yuan Shao's tactics were exactly the same as Cao Cao's, but compared to Yuan Shao's brushwork, Cao Cao's was like a small sorcerer meeting a great one. At this point, Yuan Shao had his own base in Ji Province, which was rich and vast! What can be compared to that tiny Chenliu? The Cao family's swindling group compared to the Yuan family's swindling group is simply the difference between a roadside stall and a grand hotel.

  Yuan Shao took over as the governor of Ji Province, claiming to be acting on behalf of the emperor. He gave Han Fu the empty title of "General Who Displays Martial Prowess", but with no actual troops or officers under his command.

  Han Fu was also unlucky, he had a good reputation, but under Yuan Shao's command there was an official named Zhu Han who was known for his red lips and white teeth. He had been subjected to Han Fu's indecency before, and later escaped to Yuan Shao's side. As a man, Zhu Han harbored resentment towards him.

  He knew that although Yuan Shao had control of Ji Province, he was still wary of Han Fu, so he made an excuse to send troops to surround Han Fu's residence, holding sharp blades and bursting in.

  Han Fu fled upstairs, and Zhu Han seized Han Fu's eldest son, beating him with a stick until both his legs were broken. Han Fu was deeply traumatized, and although Yuan Shao killed Zhu Han, he still left Ji Province to join Gao Gan, the Governor of Qing Province.

  One day, in the Xiehefu, Han Fu saw a messenger sent by Yuan Shao. The messenger whispered something to Xie He. A cloud of doubt rose in Han Fu's heart, and he felt that disaster was approaching. He excused himself to go to the toilet and killed himself with a writing knife.

  Alas, he was once the governor of a state, and yet he ended up in such a miserable situation! I really don't know how he managed to get by. When he still had control over his territory, his subordinates were already secretly colluding with others. Now that his territory has fallen into others' hands, it's even more unbearable. Not a single person is thinking of him; not even Zhang Chao or Zang Hong are planning for his sake! It's truly pitiful!

  Yuan Shao, with a determined look on his face, bid farewell to Ju Shou and said: "Now that the treacherous minister has caused chaos and the court has moved west, my family, the Yuans, have been favored for generations. I am determined to do my utmost to restore the Han dynasty. However, without Guan Zhong, Duke Huan of Qi would not have become a hegemon, and Goujian would not have preserved the State of Yue without Fan Li. I want to work together with you to bring peace to the people, what clever strategy do you have?"

  Ju Shou was originally appointed by Han Fu as a deputy general, and had some strategic ideas. Yuan Shao ordered him to remain in his post.

  "General, you were young when you first entered the imperial court and your name was renowned throughout the land. At the time of the emperor's abdication, you were able to uphold loyalty and righteousness; when you rode out alone, Dong Zhuo was terrified. When you crossed the river and headed north, the people of Bohai surrendered to you; with a single county's troops, you gathered the masses of Ji Province. Your prestige spread beyond the Yellow River, your reputation weighed heavily throughout the land! Now, General, if you lead the army east to conquer Qingzhou and the Yellow Turbans, you can pacify them; then head west to conquer Black Mountain and eliminate Zhang Yan. After that, return north to conquer Gongsun Zan, intimidate the Xiongnu, and subjugate the Huns. You will then possess the four provinces north of the Yellow River, gather heroic talents, assemble a million-strong army, welcome the Emperor in Chang'an, and restore the ancestral temple in Luoyang. With this, you can command the world, punish those who refuse to submit - who can resist?"

  Yuan Shao listened and smiled with joy: "This is exactly what I wanted!" He immediately appointed Zhuo Yu as the General of Vigorous Military Might, having him supervise the other generals.

  Jushou's words were full of flattering and sycophantic language, which made Yuan Shao smile and pleased him, and he was rewarded with promotion and wealth. However, his proposal to welcome Emperor Xian of Han and use the emperor as a puppet to control the world was indeed a wise idea. If Yuan Shao had followed this plan later on, things would have turned out much better for him. But Yuan Shao originally opposed enthroning Emperor Xian of Han, and his so-called "restoration of the Han dynasty" was just an empty slogan to deceive others.

  Yuan Shao also appointed Tian Feng as a separate driver and Shen Pei as a governor, these two people are relatively upright, but under Han Fu's command, they were depressed and could not achieve their ambitions. In addition, Yuan Shao also used Xu You, Feng Ji, Xun Yan and others as strategists.

  However, Yuan Shao had political skills but lacked political talent. In Ji Province, he "allowed the powerful to act arbitrarily, relatives to monopolize power, the common people were poor and weak, taxes were levied in place of others, and family property was squandered, which was not enough to meet the demands". The family of Zhong Shao, who was supposed to be fair and just, actually harbored criminals. As Cao Cao pointed out, "How can we expect the people to be loyal and our military to be strong?"

  Let's not mention that for now. Anyway, after Yuan Shao obtained Ji Province, his camp was filled with talented people. His advisors included Xu You, Guo Tu, Feng Yi, Ju Shou, Tian Feng, Shen Pei and Xun Chen etc. His warriors were known as the "Four Pillars of Hebei" - Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Zhang He and Gao Lan. He had an army of 100,000 men under his command, with strong soldiers and horses, and extraordinary strength!

  Good family background, large territory, many younger brothers, and handsome appearance, Yuan Shao became the most powerful rich second-generation in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, while the poor and short Cao Cao was still operating his own small place with caution.