Chapter 26: Xun Yu

  Yuan Shao was seething with anger, but he couldn't lose his temper in front of Yuan Wei and Ma Lun, let alone allow Chen Lin and others to see him clash with Yuan Shu. Otherwise, he would be on the same level as Yuan Shu, losing the identity of a young leader, and people would laugh at him.

  He stroked the phoenix egg in his sleeve, feeling its temperature, and sneered at Yuan Shu. A person who didn't even know about the existence of the phoenix egg, a person who had never heard of the biggest secret of the Yuan family, still thought he could contend for the position of the next master of the Yuan family, it was truly laughable.

  Wait until I hatch from the phoenix egg and upgrade my phoenix destiny, you will know how big a mistake you made.

  Yuan Shao was silent, warm and jade-like, with intense fire hidden inside.

  Yuan Shu raised his eyebrows and responded coldly, not deigning to give him a glance.

  Yuan Wei looked at the two brothers, feeling a bit of a headache. The two most outstanding talents in the younger generation of the Yuan family should have been as close as brothers, but these two people were like sworn enemies, incompatible with each other, and would inevitably clash whenever they met.

  However, Yuan Wei did not intend to persuade them. Since they couldn't unite, let them compete with each other. Whoever wins will be the next master of the Yuan family and inherit the rich connections of the four generations of three public officials in the Yuan family. Taking this opportunity, it's also a good chance to see the vision and ability of the followers. From another perspective, it can also eliminate some so-called scholars who are not worthy of their name.

  The aristocratic family has never pinned all their hopes on one person, there is always someone who must make sacrifices.

  "Kong Zhang, Gong Da, what are your opinions?"

  Chen Lin did not speak, but only nodded in agreement. Yuan Yi mentioned the names of him and Xun Yu, but it didn't mean he wanted to ask for their opinions. Today's protagonist is Xun Yu.

  Xun Yu was from the Xun family of Yingchuan and was the great-grandson of the divine Lord Xun Shu. He is currently a Yellow Gate Gentleman in the palace. The position of Yellow Gate Gentleman is only a small official with an annual salary of 400 dan, not even worthy of notice by the Yuan uncles and nephews. However, Xun Yu can hear some news in the palace that the Yuan uncles and nephews cannot hear. The news that Lü Bu was coming to duel Zhang Jue was brought by Xun Yu.

  Xun Yu was already in his 40s, with a pale and refined complexion, and a solemn expression. After hearing Yuan Yi's words, he slowly opened his mouth to speak.

  "Dong Zhuo has only three thousand men, and they are divided into two groups, one thousand inside the city and two thousand outside. They are not enough to be a threat." Xun Yu paused for a moment before continuing: "If we can get the support of the Pingzhou army, the Colonel will have a good chance of defeating Dong Zhuo. But if the Pingzhou army becomes an enemy, or even joins forces with Dong Zhuo, then not only will the Colonel be unable to resist, but also the combined forces of the southern and northern armies will not be enough."

  Yuan Yi nodded slightly, he understood this principle, but he didn't interrupt Xun Yu's words.

  "Lü Bu was brave, but he had no family background. He was also a subordinate of Ding Yuan, and entered officialdom because of Ding Yuan. It's likely that he didn't dare to betray Ding Yuan and set himself up independently. Therefore, Langya's bid for power got Ding Yuan, which is to say it also got Lü Bu."

  Yuan Shu smiled and glanced at Yuan Shao with a pleased expression. Look, the people you brought all say I'm right, what else do you have to say?

  Yuan Shao remained expressionless, knowing that Xun Yu still had more to say. Yuan Shu only caught the surface meaning and didn't understand the underlying implication; his self-satisfaction only made people think he was shallow and lacking in depth.

  "Zhang Liao is brave, but he's not a match for Lü Bu." Xun Yu continued, "If Your Majesty has seen Lü Bu's bravery and intends to recruit him, even if it means promoting him without regard to rank, and having him share the defense of the palace with Zhang Liao, Lü Bu will certainly be grateful. Ding Yuan won't be able to stop him either. Otherwise, he'll be disobeying the Emperor's edict on one hand, and suppressing Lü Bu's future prospects on the other, which will make him unpopular with others. On the contrary, he should offer up Lü Bu like Dong Zhuo offered up Zhang Liao, and present five hundred elite troops from Pingzhou to assist Lü Bu."

  Yuan Wei's eyebrows furrowed.

  "There are Zhang Liao's 500 elite troops from Xiliang, and also Lü Bu's 500 crack troops from Pingzhou. Your Majesty can rest assured that nothing will go wrong. Next, if Your Majesty wants to investigate the palace coup, Lang will likely be the first to be held responsible and cannot shirk his blame."

  Yuan Shu's face changed greatly. At this time, if he still didn't know how severe the consequences would be, then he was truly a fool. If Lü Bu entered the palace and became one of the Emperor's guards, once the Emperor had secured his own safety and counterattacked, Yuan Shu would be the first to suffer misfortune.

  Because Zhuque Gate and Jiulongmen were both burned by him.

  "Gong Da, what's good?"

  "Seize the heart of Lü Bu before His Majesty speaks." Xun Yu smiled: "With Lang's military prestige and the Yuan family's reputation among the heroes, it is likely that Lü Bu will surrender. However, as long as Lang is in command, and the Yuan family is in power, even if His Majesty issues an edict, he may not necessarily abandon the Yuan family to follow His Majesty. Without the Bingzhou army, can His Majesty still act rashly?"

  Yuan Shu was like a man awakened from a dream and hastily expressed his gratitude. Recruiting Lü Bu would not be a difficult task at all. As long as he himself spoke out, this matter would be settled.

  ……

  The sky was just beginning to brighten, and Liu Bian stood on the roof, looking at Zhang Heng riding a horse, holding the Hegemon-King spear, standing majestically one hundred paces away, his heart slightly stirred.

  Today I can see Zhang Fei and Lü Bu fighting one-on-one. One is the King of Northern Territory's Spear, the other is the First Brave General of the Three Kingdoms, this battle of Mars colliding with Earth must be very exciting.

  "Wang Yue, Shi Ya, what do you think of Zhang Xiu's condition today?"

  Wang Yue narrowed his eyes to size up Zhang Xiu. His eyesight was extraordinary, and even from a hundred paces away, he could clearly see Zhang Xiu's figure. Without looking at Zhang Xiu's expression, just by the way Zhang Xiu sat on horseback, Wang Yue could tell that Zhang Xiu was in good shape today, full of energy and spirit.

  "Your Majesty, Zhang Xiang seems to have figured something out." Wang Yue said with some envy: "His breakthrough came even faster than mine."

  "Is that so? That's great." Liu Bian was delighted: "Let him run a couple of laps and warm up."

  "Alright!" Wang Yue went to pass on the order. Before long, Zhang Fei received the command, raised his spear, nodded three times towards Liu Bei, then leveled his spear, kicked his horse's belly and galloped forward. On both sides of the road, twelve spears of varying heights had been arranged beforehand. Zhang Fei rode his horse and wielded his spear, swiftly passing in front of the spears from top to bottom. The "霸王枪" (Overlord Spear) accurately struck the red centers of the spears one by one, causing them to shatter with a loud "crack".

  A moment later, all twelve gun shields were shattered by Zhang Xiu, none survived.

  One of the guardsmen held up a placard and stepped forward onto the platform, shouting: "Your Majesty, General Zhang has hit the mark with every shot."

  Liu Bian looked at him, extremely satisfied, and waved his hand. With a tone that implied he was not yet finished, he said: "Not bad, let him try again. I want to see what kind of shape he can get into the fastest."

  Wang Yue was shocked: "Your Majesty, he is already very fast."

  "Really?" Liu Bian blinked his eyes, somewhat puzzled: "Was he already at his fastest just now?"

  "I don't know if this is his fastest speed, but with my eyesight, I can no longer see the tip of his gun." Wang Yue sighed and said: "Although I am not good at archery, I still have eyesight. I have traveled all over the world for more than ten years, and I haven't seen anyone faster than him yet."

  Recommendations are welcome, and collections are appreciated! To those brothers who haven't collected yet, hurry up! Old Zhuang is moving forward!