Chapter 392

In Yuan Shao's heart, they no longer looked like loyal ministers.

Instead, they looked like fierce ghosts with green faces and sharp fangs, ready to claim his life at any moment!

Staying quietly in the study, it wasn't until evening that Yuan Shao walked out of the study.

"My lord, this is a family letter from the eldest son to you."

Suddenly, a guard clad in black armor came to Yuan Shao's side and presented Yuan Tan's family letter.

He was a death soldier by Yuan Shao's side.

There were 500 such people in Yecheng.

As everyone knew, under Yuan Shao's command, there were two major factions: Hebei and Henan.

But in order to ensure his own safety.

Yuan Shao couldn't just employ people from these two factions.

Therefore, he secretly organized this unit of death soldiers.

Even veterans like Chunyu Qiong and Yan Liang didn't know of the existence of these death soldiers.

However, Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, the two sons favored by Yuan Shao, knew about this matter.

Therefore.

After Yuan Tan was captured by Gu Yi, he informed Gu Yi of the news about these death soldiers, letting Gu Yi send someone to deliver the family letter to these death soldiers.

emmm, how should I put this operation, anyway Yuan Tan was quite stupid.

This unit of 500 death soldiers belonged to his father Yuan Shao's personal guard force to ensure his own safety.

Although Yuan Tan's goal was to safely deliver the family letter to his father Yuan Shao.

But Yuan Tan telling the enemy Gu Yi about the news of these death soldiers could be considered a real performance of "pit-father technique."

"What!?"

"Xiansi's family letter?"

Yuan Shao hurriedly opened it.

In the family letter, Yuan Tan recounted how he had been treated with courtesy under Gu Yi's command.

At the same time, he added oil and vinegar to smear Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Shen Pei, Feng Ji, and others.

Yuan Tan even stated bluntly that the reason for the defeat this time was because these people were causing trouble behind the scenes.

Upon learning that Yuan Tan was not yet in danger of his life, Yuan Shao breathed a sigh of relief.

And regarding Yuan Tan's accusations against the Hebei faction in the family letter.

If it were in the past, Yuan Shao might have thought this was the enemy Gu Yi's sowing of discord.

But now, after the events of Yuan Tan being captured and Tian Feng surrendering, Yuan Shao really couldn't guarantee in his heart that Ju Shou, Shen Pei, Feng Ji, and others didn't have ulterior motives.

Thinking of this.

Yuan Shao gnashed his teeth, his heart filled with suspicion toward the Hebei faction under his command.

"Ju Gongyu, oh Ju Gongyu, what exactly do you want?"

"I have already given you military power, and also given you the status and power of being under one person, yet it still can't satisfy you?"

Yuan Shao muttered to himself.

In fact, the struggle between Yuan Shao and Ju Shou had already begun to emerge when Yuan Shao took control of Jizhou.

How high was Ju Shou's influence in the aristocratic group?

Let's put it this way, much greater than Seeing Xun Yu's!

The Jizhou Ju clan, the top aristocratic family in Jizhou, none other.

During the Western and Eastern Han periods, they produced n number of figures at the level of the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers.

Looking at the world, only the Runan Yuan clan and the Hongnong Yang clan could suppress the Ju clan.

At seventeen, Ju Shou became a County Magistrate.

At nineteen, he was recommended as a Maocai (which can be understood as a luxury version of recommending filial and incorrupt, with an average of only one quota per province every three years).

At twenty-one, Ju Shou became the Jizhou Biejia.

What kind of concept is this?

Placed in later generations, it's equivalent to becoming the second-in-command of a prosperous region at the provincial level at twenty-one.

This TM relied on his own efforts?

Go tell that to the ghosts!

Therefore, in terms of family background, Ju Shou was not afraid of Yuan Shao at all, and could even stand on equal footing.

The greatest reliance Yuan Shao had to sit firmly in Jizhou was naturally the support he received from the Hebei aristocratic group.

And Ju Shou was the leading big brother among the Hebei aristocratic group.

But precisely because Ju Shou's influence was too great, it led Yuan Shao to have to grant Ju Shou military power.

The military power in Ju Shou's hands accounted for two-fifths of the entire Yuan camp!

Would Seeing Xun Yu dare to think of this treatment?

Seeing Xun Yu wouldn't even dare to think of it!

Throughout Seeing Xun Yu's life, apart from when Cao Cao was away on a campaign and needed him to command the overall situation, he could touch military power.

During other periods, the military power of the Cao camp was always in the hands of Cao Cao himself or generals like the various Caos and Xiahous.

Historically, why did Yuan Shao want to split up his three sons and one nephew to serve as Governors of various provinces?

Could it be that he really wanted to reverse history and move from the commandery-county system to the enfeoffment system?

Of course not!

His goal was to weaken the power in the hands of the Hebei aristocrats.

Just one Ju Shou alone held two-fifths of the military power of the entire Yuan camp.

It was fine while Yuan Shao was still around, everything was fine to talk about.

But what if one day Yuan Shao was no longer around.

Ju Shou backhanded a usurpation of power similar to that of the old thief Sima.

What would Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang use to confront him?

Therefore, before the Battle of Guandu began.

Yuan Shao found various reasons and excuses to continuously weaken the military power in Ju Shou's hands.

He even found a reason that Ju Shou intended to rebel, and temporarily placed Ju Shou under house arrest.

But even so.

Yuan Shao could only temporarily place Ju Shou under house arrest.

Once the war ended, he had to honestly release Ju Shou.

However.

Yuan Shao's move to place Ju Shou under house arrest, coupled with Guo Tu constantly setting the rhythm on the side.

Indirectly led Zhang He, Gao Lan, and others of the Hebei faction to believe that Yuan Shao wanted to take the opportunity to carry out a great purge of the Hebei faction!

Thus, the two of them, without looking back, led a portion of the front-line troops to surrender to Cao Cao.

In fact.

The military power of this portion of the surrendered troops was originally in Ju Shou's hands.

It was equivalent to saying that the portion of Ju Shou's troops in the Yuan camp surrendered to Cao Cao under the leadership of Zhang He and Gao Lan.

Then the question arises.

Why didn't Ju Shou surrender to Cao after being captured?

Cao Cao cherished Ju Shou's talent.

But he couldn't, and would absolutely not, make himself uncomfortable.

He recruited Ju Shou to surrender, more to win over the Hebei faction behind Ju Shou.

But if Ju Shou surrendered to Cao, would Cao Cao return the original military power to him?

Cao Cao was not a fool; having one Seeing Xun Yu in the Cao camp was enough, why would he want to bring in another Ju Shou with even greater influence?

Therefore.

If Ju Shou really surrendered to Cao.

Then he could only be a strategist like Jia Xu who did not hold real power.

And not the second-in-command of the Cao camp like Seeing Xun Yu!

Under such circumstances.