Chapter 1379

At the very least, Xu You himself did not believe it.

Therefore, upon learning the news of Yuan Shao's death, Xu You immediately fled Yexian.

Zhen Ji's shout that Yuan Shao had colluded with the traitor Duan Yu, privately released the court's wanted criminals, the He sisters, and slaughtered the family of Zhen Jian, who had tipped him off, must have already spread throughout Yecheng.

It wouldn't be long before it reached Luoyang.

Luoyang!

"Quick, immediately send men to Mengjin Pass to chase down Generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou. Inform them that Benchu has been murdered and that they must absolutely not enter Luoyang. Also... burn all the grain being transported!"

In Yexian, Yuan Shao's Inspector's Mansion was in total chaos.

But the central hall was deathly silent.

Tian Feng, Ju Shou, and others, who had been feigning illness for several days, as well as Guo Tu, Xun Chen, and others, were all gathered in the central hall of the Inspector's Mansion.

In the middle of the central hall lay a corpse covered with a white cloth.

Blood had seeped through the chest, staining the white cloth red; under the candlelight, it was as eye-catching as a red lotus blooming in the snow.

Yuan Ji stood in the very center of the hall, looking at everyone present.

"I don't care what your relationship with Benchu was before, but now that Benchu is dead, all grievances are wiped clean. As for who was right and who was wrong, and the things Zhen Jian's son Zhen Ji said, I will naturally send people to investigate and report them to Luoyang."

"But now that Jizhou is without a master, you all should do your utmost to pacify the people and avoid causing unrest."

"As for whom the imperial court will send to govern Jizhou in the future, that will be decided by the Luoyang court, the Emperor, and the Empress Dowager."

Everyone in the hall remained silent, heads bowed, each with their own thoughts.

The imperial court certainly wouldn't send anyone else to govern Jizhou; that was certain.

Because Yuan Ji was already standing there.

Regardless of how Yuan Shao died or who killed him, the person who would govern Jizhou in the future would definitely be Yuan Ji.

With Yuan Kui in Luoyang, Jizhou could only belong to the Yuan clan.

Guo Tu, head bowed, rolled his eyes and then bowed to Yuan Ji, saying, "Eldest Young Master, Jizhou cannot go a day without a master. Although the Regional Inspector has passed away, Jizhou still needs someone in charge. Since you are the Regional Inspector's brother, you should naturally act in his stead, and we will naturally cooperate with you."

"Exactly," Xun Chen also stood up to echo the sentiment.

Who was the master of Jizhou didn't matter; what mattered was... who could bring them benefits.

Tian Feng, head bowed, turned to look at Ju Shou and the others beside him.

A glance exchanged between them was enough for them to understand each other's thoughts.

Thus, they all stood up one after another to request that Yuan Ji temporarily take Yuan Shao's place.

Yuan Ji declined several times before finally, reluctantly, agreeing.

Mengjin, also known as Mengjin.

*Living by the Mengjin River, facing the mouth of Mengjin. Often there are boats from the south; do they send letters home? *

This refers to the Mengjin Ferry.

The origin of the name Mengjin can be traced back to the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

The *Classic of History: Tribute of Yu* records that when Great Yu was controlling the floods, he "guided the river to Jishi... and east to Mengjin."

King Wu's campaign against King Zhou involved an alliance at this very place, which is why Mengjin is also called Mengjin (Alliance Ford).

And Emperor Guangwu's restoration of the Han also launched its attack on Luoyang from this location.

At this moment, the sun was high and bright, hanging directly overhead.

As the last ferry at Mengjin Ferry transported the final load of grain to the opposite bank, Wen Chou, clad in armor and of sturdy build, prepared to board the last ferry to cross.

Just as Wen Chou was about to board, his personal guards strode to his side.

"General, someone has come to report, saying it is an urgent dispatch from Yecheng and they need to see you. This person says they are Mr. Xu's servant."

Wen Chou, over eight feet tall, dressed in black armor and a black cloak, with his hand on the long sword at his waist, stopped in his tracks.

"Mr. Xu's servant?"

Wen Chou, his face weary and weathered, turned his head to look at the approaching guard.

Traveling from Weijun through Henei Commandery and then to this Mengjin Ferry, Wen Chou and Yan Liang had barely stopped to rest.

Because when they left, Yuan Shao had told them to transport the grain to Luoyang as quickly as possible and then return to Yecheng immediately.

Although Yuan Shao hadn't said what the matter was at the time, both Yan Liang and Wen Chou had sensed Yuan Shao's urgency, so they had barely rested along the way.

"Let him come over."

Hearing that it was Xu You's servant, Wen Chou gave the order.

In a short while, Xu You's servant arrived at the ferry in a hurried state.

Upon seeing Wen Chou, the servant first bowed and saluted: "May I ask which one is General Yan Liang or General Wen Chou?"

Wen Chou straightened his expression and said, "I am. Since you are Mr. Xu's servant, what is your business? Is this the Lord's order?"

Xu You's servant looked at Wen Chou, then took out a letter and offered it with both hands.

"General, this is a letter given to me by my master, specifically for Generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou to open personally. Fortunately, the Generals are at this Mengjin Ferry; otherwise, I fear I would have had nowhere to find you."

Wen Chou took the letter from Xu You's servant, broke the wax seal, shook it, and unfolded it.

As the contents of the letter were revealed, Wen Chou's weary face turned to shock in the next second.

"The Lord... has passed away!"

Wen Chou held the letter in one hand and grabbed the collar of Xu You's servant with the other, glaring at him: "Is what is said in this letter true?"

Xu You's servant nodded repeatedly: "My master said that if the Generals asked, I should say this matter is absolutely true. The Regional Inspector told the Generals to return quickly so that after he submitted his resignation, he could head to Chang'an."

Wen Chou suddenly felt his strength leave him.

Yuan Shao's submission of his resignation was something that no one except key individuals could possibly know.

Even Guo Tu and the others couldn't have known.

Since the person before him could state this fact, what he had said before must be true.

"General, my master said that the General must pull himself together. The Inspector's cause of death is not so simple; there is an inside story, and the General must avenge the Inspector."

The words of Xu You's servant awakened Wen Chou from his daze.

Suddenly turning around, Wen Chou looked at the grain transport team, which looked like a long dragon on the opposite bank, and gritted his teeth.

"My Lord exhausted himself for the imperial court, yet was harmed by treacherous villains! It must have been done by those who were being taxed for grain!"

Wen Chou gritted his teeth and said, "Cross the river quickly! Send men to notify my brother to burn the grain! We must not let these corrupt officials benefit!"

After a roar, Wen Chou stepped onto the gunwale and urged the boat to cross to the opposite bank as quickly as possible.

The opposite bank of the ferry was Yanjin Ferry, one of the eight passes of Luoyang.

At this time, Yan Liang had already led the corvée laborers transporting the grain and was about to reach the pass.

On the ramparts of Yanjin Ferry.

Liu Bei, dressed in brocade robes with armor worn over them, stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the grain transport team that looked like a long dragon outside the city.

Beside Liu Bei stood Zhang Fei and Guan Yu.

Zhang Fei, holding his serpent-headed spear, looked at Liu Bei with an eager expression and said, "Big Brother, the people are already here. Let me go down now and slaughter these two subordinates of Yuan Shao first."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei shook his head and said, "Yide, don't be impatient. It won't be too late to act after they transport the grain into the pass."

Beside him, Guan Yu gently stroked his long beard.

Zhang Fei suppressed his restless mood and said, "Damn it, tell me, what are those bird-brained people of the Yuan family doing? Duan Yu clearly killed Yuan Shu, yet Yuan Shao was still flirting with Duan Yu. Now look, he's played himself to death."

"It's damn well deserved. Who would he help? He helped a rebel."

Liu Bei narrowed his eyes, watching the corvée laborers delivering the grain below, and did not respond.

The news that Yuan Shao had colluded with Duan Yu, privately released He Lingsi and He Lingman, and slaughtered the family of Zhen Jian, who had tipped him off, had reached Luoyang two days ago.

Because of this, Luoyang was shaken.

No one had expected that He Lingsi, whom they had searched for so long—and for whom Yuan Shu had died—had actually gone north to Jizhou.

It was no wonder that Duan Yu had disappeared after killing Guo Tai in Baibo Valley; now it seemed clear that he had gone to Jizhou to pick up He Lingsi.

The Empress Dowager was furious, and the Grand Tutor Yuan Kui had fallen ill and stopped attending court.

He had only arrived in Luoyang a few days ago when he was directly commissioned to come to Mengjin Ferry, on one hand to receive the grain, and on the other to guard against a rebellion by Yuan Shao's subordinates and to kill Yan Liang and Wen Chou.

"Yunchang, go and open the pass gate. Remember to be careful and guard against whether the two of them might cause trouble."

Watching the grain transport team getting closer, Liu Bei turned his head and gave instructions to Guan Yu beside him.

Guan Yu, dressed in green battle robes, nodded and prepared to walk down the ramparts.

However, at this very moment. ===== CHAPTER 1381 =====