Liu Bei was very happy to see Yuan Xi return a county with just one sentence. When he heard that Yuan Xi wanted him to ask for the person, he agreed without thinking: "Since you have asked, I will do whatever you want."
Yuan Xi said, "I would like to ask Mr. Yuanlong to take the post of Guangling governor."
As soon as these words were spoken, the cheers from the crowd gradually died down, and they all looked at Chen Deng, who had not shown any abnormal behavior until now.
The same thought came to their minds at the same time: You are so good, Chen Deng, I didn't expect that you had already colluded with Yuan Xi and climbed up the social ladder!
No wonder you volunteered to write a letter to Yuan Shao, asking Yuan Shao to support Liu Bei in taking Xuzhou!
Chen Deng's face froze, and he was a little unresponsive, because Yuan Xi had never informed him about the appointment of the prefect of Guangling!
He actually had a very difficult time these days.
Chen Deng and Mi Zhu were the two main driving forces behind Liu Bei's taking over of Xuzhou, but later facts proved that they were too optimistic.
Although Liu Bei's loss of Tancheng had nothing to do with Mi Zhu and Chen Deng, the bad thing was that when Liu Bei took Xuzhou, in order to prevent the news from leaking out, he discussed it privately with Chen Deng and Mi Zhu and did not inform other subordinates.
This led to a bad relationship between Liu Bei and Tao Qian's old generals led by Cao Bao, which indirectly led to the later attack between Zhang Fei and Cao Bao and the loss of Xia Pi.
This made Liu Bei's officials quite dissatisfied with Chen Deng and Mi Zhu. In addition, Chen Qun, who had different opinions, ran to Cao Cao for help, and the private criticism became even louder.
Chen Deng felt embarrassed and ran to Yecheng to ask Yuan for help, but came back with a cold shoulder. He then wanted to ask Liu Bei to borrow troops to fight Sun Ce, but was ridiculed by others and the matter ended in nothing.
At that time, Yuan Xi was ready to send troops to help, but the action needed to be kept secret, so he did not inform Chen Deng. It was not until Yuan Xi captured Guangling that Chen Deng understood the whole story.
When it comes to the fall of Xuzhou, someone will always be blamed. Everyone knows that it was Zhang Fei who lost Tancheng, but who dares to criticize Zhang Fei?
As for Mi Zhu, on the one hand, he made great contributions by providing Liu Bei with money, food, and soldiers, and on the other hand, he was preparing to marry his sister to Liu Bei. Although the marriage did not take place in the end, who knows what will happen in the future?
Therefore, other people would not be so blind as to criticize Mi Zhu, and instead they secretly directed their attacks at Chen Deng.
This is the same principle as the struggle among the eight counselors of Yuan Shao in Jizhou. If foreign nobles want to develop locally, they must suppress the local nobles. After all, there is only so much cake.
In this situation where two factions are fighting each other, the local gentry are often at a disadvantage.
Because for the lord, if the local nobles are too powerful, they will be difficult to get rid of, so he will intentionally or unintentionally allow foreign nobles to target local nobles, or even personally suppress them.
Just like Ju Shou who was exiled to Youzhou, Chen Deng, who belonged to the prominent Chen family in Xuzhou, was also in an extremely embarrassing situation.
Yuan Xi saw the opportunity and started poaching people without consulting Chen Deng, because he knew that although Chen Deng did not have many options, he might not be able to save his dignity if he brought it up privately.
But now, with this sentence spoken directly in public, Chen Deng's last way of retreat was blocked!
Because of what Yuan Xi said, he had successfully aroused the suspicion of Chen Deng among the people of Xuzhou. Now Chen Deng could not clear himself even if he jumped into the Yellow River!
If Chen Deng was a smart man, he would know what choice to make next.
Yuan Xi couldn't help but turn his head and glance at Guo Jia who had an innocent look on his face, thinking that this idea was really cruel.
Liu Bei laughed dryly, "Master Xianyi is really amazing. He wants to take my Captain Diannong away right away."
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "Of course. In my opinion, exchanging Xia Pi for Mr. Yuan Long is still a good deal."
After hearing this, everyone secretly cursed the boy for being shameless. He just said that he gave up Xia Pi on his own, but now he is tying Chen Deng to Xia Pi as a condition of exchange again!
However, everyone in Xuzhou, including Liu Bei, had a big question in their minds: why did Yuan Xi attach so much importance to Chen Deng?
You have to know that no matter how powerful Chen Deng is, there are dozens of officials like him in Xuzhou. Apart from farming, he has no outstanding qualities, right?
Some people began to worry, wondering if Chen Deng felt suppressed, so he exchanged some conditions with Yuan Xi in private?
If this is true, then he is indeed not suitable to serve under the lord!
Thinking of this, everyone looked at Liu Bei, their eyes full of anticipation.
They were naturally very happy to do so. If Chen Deng went to Guangling to join Yuan Xi, it would be difficult for the Chen family to gain a foothold in Xia Pi. In all likelihood, they would be forced to move to Guangling, leaving behind a lot of assets for everyone to divide!
Liu Bei's face showed no joy. He stood up, bowed to Chen Deng, his eyes reddened, and said, "This matter should be decided by Mr. Yuanlong."
"Since the first day I came to Xuzhou, I have received your help and benefited a lot."
"It can be said that without you, I would not be where I am today. I will never forget your kindness."
Chen Deng was also quite touched when he heard this, and he quickly stood up and said in return: "I am deeply moved, and I will never forget the kindness of Lord Xuande."
As Liu Bei spoke, Yuan Xi secretly sighed. No matter how sincere he was, Liu Bei was indeed impeccable in every aspect of his dealings with people.
He was secretly worried, but when he heard Chen Deng's answer, he was suddenly delighted.
Chen Deng addressed Liu Bei as Lord Xuande, not Lord!
Of course Liu Bei understood the meaning of Chen Deng's words. He sighed and knew that it was of no use.
During this period, Chen Deng was indeed targeted by some officials with ulterior motives. Although Liu Bei noticed this, it was a critical time to retake Xia Pi, and he could not be distracted to deal with these trivial matters.
Liu Bei had planned to have a good talk with Chen Deng after stabilizing the situation in the city in the next few days, but he never expected that as soon as Yuan Xi arrived, he directly asked for people, catching Liu Bei off guard.
Liu Bei was secretly alert in his heart. This ferocious tiger of the Yuan family was an expert in speed and surprise, whether in war or negotiation, and had mastered the art of war!
Is it his own ability, or is there a brilliant counselor?
Thinking of this, Liu Bei couldn't help but look at Guo Jia, who hadn't spoken a word from beginning to end.
This person seems to be from Yingchuan?
Chen Qun is also from Yingchuan, right?
Chen Deng slowly turned to Yuan Xi, bowed deeply, and said solemnly: "Thank you for not abandoning me, I will do my best."
He must now make a decisive statement. If he continues to hesitate and be indecisive, not only will he be looked down upon, but Liu Bei and Yuan Xi will also doubt his loyalty.
Given the choice between the two, he chose Yuan Xi's side.
Yuan Xi smiled. Chen Deng was indeed efficient and efficient, without any hesitation. He bowed deeply in return and said, "Xi will definitely live up to you, sir."
A group of Xuzhou officials couldn't help but reveal relieved expressions and started to congratulate.
Some people have already started planning how to go to the Chen family and take the opportunity to buy the land at a low price.
Yuan Xi lowered his head and couldn't help but reveal a smug smile.
Done!
Even if Chen Deng was a little reluctant at this time, it would be impossible for him to return to Liu Bei's camp in the future!
Winning over Chen Deng was of great significance, not only because Chen Deng was proficient in agronomy and military strategy, but also because his father, Chen Gui, was also a very capable strategist.
The father and son conspired together to betray Lu Bu and Sun Ce successively, which can be said to have greatly influenced the history of the late Han Dynasty.
Chen Pu, a Neo-Confucianist and poet in the Song Dynasty, commented, "Yuanlong and his son are just two people, but they are better than Cao Cao's 100,000 troops. Lü Bu was captured and died on the highway when he was trying to persuade his new wife to return."
Li Zhi, a Ming Dynasty writer, said, "Chen Gui and his son treated Lü Bu like a baby, but it was a pity that Lü Bu was completely unaware of it."
Moreover, many members of the Chen family served as officials in the State of Wei in later generations, which shows that the family was full of talented people.
This is truly a case of buying one and giving away too much. Liu Bei would not understand at this time what he had lost.
After Yuan Xi's matter was settled, everyone in Xuzhou felt a lot more relaxed and turned their eyes to Yuan Tan.
Yuan Tan saw this and said with a smile: "Since Lord Xuande is my sponsor, if I annex the two counties, wouldn't that be unkind and unjust?"
"I want to take charge of Langya County on your behalf, so that we can block the Taishan bandits' route out of the mountain, which will also be a good thing for the entire Xuzhou."
Langya County is located in the northernmost part of Xuzhou, bordering Qingzhou. The state border is divided by the Taishan mountainous area which stretches for hundreds of miles. Hundreds of thousands of Taishan bandits are hiding there, and they are still a major concern for Xuzhou.
When the people in Xuzhou heard this, they were even more delighted.
After Langya County was massacred by Cao Cao, people's livelihood was in decline. The Taishan bandits took the opportunity to harass the south from time to time, making Langya an extremely difficult place to manage, and even affecting other counties in Xuzhou.
Now that Yuan Tan is willing to help Xuzhou eliminate this major threat, all the officials in Xuzhou are naturally very happy.
Liu Bei opened his mouth and looked at his subordinates, and found that Chen Qun and Chen Deng, who had previously served as his backbone, had defected to Cao Cao and Yuan Xi respectively, and were no longer able to give him any advice.
Liu Bei understood what Yuan Tan was thinking. He wanted to annex all the Taishan bandits and expand his own power!
What Liu Bei thought at the time was that if Yuan Tan attacked from Qingzhou, the Taishan bandits would not be able to hold on and would flee south to various places in Xuzhou. In this way, Liu Bei could take the opportunity to gather refugees and use them as soldiers.
However, this plan now seems to be unfeasible.
Of course, Yuan Tan might not be able to finish it all alone. If Liu Bei wanted to get a piece of the pie, he would have to think carefully.
Liu Bei couldn't help but sigh that these two people from the Yuan family were not easy to deal with. The other party was sure that he needed the help of the Yuan family to deal with Yuan Shu and Cao Cao, so he accurately put forward conditions that Liu Bei could not refuse, but did not cross the line.
Liu Bei has now come to terms with it. Since he cannot take over Xuzhou, he cannot blame anyone else.
The current situation is much better than he originally expected. At least he still occupies four counties, and with the help of Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi, he will surely make a comeback in time.
Thinking of this, he said, "Let's follow the advice of the two gentlemen. From now on, the three parties will jointly govern Xuzhou and jointly resist foreign enemies!"
Mi Zhu returned home in a depressed mood and sat in his room sighing.
Mi Zhen just happened to come over and saw that Mi Zhu was in a bad mood, so he asked curiously, "Brother, what happened?"
Mi Zhu sighed: "Yuan Long, who is on good terms with me, is leaving Xia Pi now. From now on, my Mi family will be alone and helpless."
"Although the Mi family is now prosperous, it is lonely at the top. People are jealous of them. If no one helps them, they will be isolated sooner or later. Their future is worrying."
Mi Zhen knew that he was best friends with Mi Zhu and Chen Deng, so he asked in surprise, "Where is Mr. Yuanlong going?"
"Are you going to leave Envoy Liu too?"
Mi Zhu shook his head, as if remembering something. "Master Xianyi arrived in the city today to discuss the joint governance of Xuzhou. Afterwards, I had something else to do and came back a little late. Is Mi Fang not back yet?"
Mi Zhen shook her head and said, "Second brother has not returned home, he..." She suddenly realized, Master Xian Yi?
Isn't this Yuan Xi?