Chapter 659

Ju Shou said urgently to Yuan Shao.

From Ju Shou's eyes, Yuan Shao saw intense fear and panic.

Ye City was less of a place where Yuan Shao had started his rise and more of a base camp for this group of Jizhou aristocratic families.

Back then, when Yuan Shao raised his army in Bohai, Ju Shou and the others were still supporting Han Fu in Ye City.

It was only later, after Yuan Shao replaced Han Fu, that he moved his administrative center from Bohai's Nanpi City to Wei Jun's Ye City.

Ultimately, the choice of an administrative center must consider many internal and external factors.

For instance, after taking Jizhou, if Yuan Shao had continued to linger in Bohai,

then… the Jizhou aristocratic families naturally would not have allowed him to do so.

It is just like after the Battle of Red Cliffs, when Cao Cao made every excuse not to return to Xu Chang.

Why did he not return to Xu Chang?

Was it because Xu Chang was uncomfortable to live in?

Or was it because Ye City was too comfortable to live in?

Of course not!

There was only one true reason: Cao Cao did not want to be subjected to the ubiquitous and intense control of the Henan aristocratic families.

It was not that he was afraid.

It was that as the hegemon of the North, he naturally could not rely solely on the Henan aristocratic faction.

But after years of campaigning, the strength of the Hebei aristocratic families had been greatly diminished when the Yuan family collapsed.

The Henan aristocratic families in the Cao camp, however, were advancing triumphantly.

This led to the fact that, in order to maintain balance and weaken the influence of the Henan aristocratic families,

Cao Cao had to provide a series of support to the Hebei aristocratic families, both openly and secretly.

This brings us back to that old problem.

Opposing Cao Cao's ascension to Duke and King—

was it truly opposing the act of becoming a Duke or King,

or was it opposing the titles of "Duke of Wei" and "Wei Wang"?

This question is hard to clarify.

Perhaps in Seeing Xun Yu's heart, he opposed the act of Cao Cao becoming a Duke or King.

But in the hearts of other high-ranking Henan aristocrats, what they opposed was definitely the titles of "Duke of Wei" and "Wei Wang."

Wei Jun—that is the territory of the Hebei aristocratic families!

Your place of rise, Cao Cao, is clearly in Henan, yet you take the "Wei" of Hebei territory to be your title as Duke and King?

Do you think my Henan aristocratic families have no one?

If this can be endured, what cannot?

Other high-ranking members of the Henan aristocratic families constantly pressured Seeing Xun Yu, telling him to quickly find a way to stop Cao Cao from becoming a Duke or King.

At the same time, they hoped Seeing Xun Yu would quickly get Cao Cao to move back from Ye City to Xu Chang.

Your old shareholders who helped you get rich are us, the Henan aristocratic families.

Now you spend all day in the territory of the Hebei aristocratic families; are you trying to discard the millstone after the grain is ground?

Thus, the conflict between Seeing Xun Yu and Cao Cao gradually intensified.

This was irreconcilable.

One who holds a position must plan for its governance.

Seeing Xun Yu's status was similar to that of Ju Shou, Zhuge Liang, and others.

They were all leaders of local aristocratic factions and simultaneously the "chief stewards" of their respective forces.

Cao Cao did not understand Seeing Xun Yu, and the other high-ranking members of the Henan aristocratic families did not understand Seeing Xun Yu either.

Caught in the middle, Seeing Xun Yu was alienated by both sides.

Ultimately, he chose: "After I die, to hell with the deluge; I'm done!"

Using his own death to minimize the impact of this matter as much as possible.

As for those historical records claiming Cao Cao murdered Seeing Xun Yu,

they are all uniformly from the records of Western Jin.

Given the credibility of the Sima family, one can only say that those who know, know.

But Yuan Shao's side was different from Cao Cao's.

Seeing Xun Yu and Cao Cao had a very good personal friendship, and Seeing Xun Yu's character was far more noble than Ju Shou's.

Well, they were simply not on the same level.

Yet there are always idiots out there blowing smoke about how noble Ju Shou's character was.

In Ju Shou's eyes, everything was a tool he could utilize.

Whether it was the commoners, his own lord, or other things.

It was just that, in the end, Ju Shou overplayed his hand.

He hadn't expected that he would actually be captured by the Cao army.

Otherwise, after returning to Hebei,

Yuan Shao?

Heh, once he waited until Yuan Shao died,

Ju Shou could directly sideline Yuan Shang and take the Yuan camp's family business for himself.

Moreover, if Ju Shou had truly taken Yuan Shao seriously,

then he could not have sabotaged Yuan Shao like that during the Battle of Guandu!

The death of Wen Chou, the three-year fatigue of Cao, the death of Chunyu Qiong in battle, Shen Pei's private execution of Xu You's family—

among these events, which one could Ju Shou be separated from?

It is worth mentioning that in the Battle of Yanjin, Wen Chou was not the commander-in-chief.

Ju Shou was.

Ju Shou possessed the authority to order Wen Chou.

Therefore, did Wen Chou's crossing of the river to pursue the Cao army's supplies also have Ju Shou's indication?

The result of this matter was that Wen Chou died in battle and Ju Shou's military power was curtailed.

Yuan Shao could not joke about the death of a veteran like Wen Chou.

Therefore, the truth is highly likely that Ju Shou wanted to get Wen Chou killed.

Yuan Shao was very angry, but he had no way to save Wen Chou's life.

He had no choice but to use the method of weakening Ju Shou's military power to intimidate him.

This is just like the later Sima Yi and Zhang He.

Sima Yi possessed the authority to order Zhang He, and Zhang He died inexplicably.

In this, could it really be that Sima Yi had nothing to do with it?

……

Nowadays,

although the overall strength of the Yuan camp was not as robust as it was in the original history,

the relationship between Yuan Shao and Ju Shou was already on the verge of a total breakdown.

The external factor that could keep them on the same front was the impending arrival of Gu Yi's military force.

But now,

Yuan Shao felt that even relying on the strength of Ju Shou and the Jizhou aristocratic families, they likely could not block Gu Yi at all!

Damn it.

What was he, Yuan Benchu, still persisting for?

After thinking it over,

Yuan Shao made a ruthless decision in his heart.

He smiled and said to Ju Shou:

"Gongyu, I have already handed over all decision-making power for the grand army to you."

"You take the main force and return to Ye City first."

"I, the Grand General, will lead a small force to remain here to prevent Gu Linzhi from turning back again." ===== CHAPTER 660 =====